Rehabilitation
by Sabbia Scura
Summary: The village has decided to rehabilitate one of their most violent inmates. And they believe Naruto is the only one that can do it. But how can they change an angry Uchiha that doesn't want to change? Rated M for language and later chapters. NaruSasu.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"Talking"

_Thinking_

XXX

Cold eyes glared at the people in the room while a low growl escaped the pale throat. The anbu have tried everything. Beating, torture, starvation, hypnosis, and other things to break the Uchiha's will. Nothing worked. He remained glaring at them and growling, his eyes blood shot with lack of sleep and his lips split from to many hits. The anbu mumbled amongst themselves, catching glances of the tied up, beaten man a little ways away. They were told to try a different approach with him to get him to calm down and be approachable by the Kages. Thanks to a certain blond haired ninja, they would give him a second chance if only he proved to be rehabilitated and calm.

Of course that didn't seem like it would happen anytime soon. After three months the Uchiha wasn't any closer to being calm or rehabilitated with the world. So came the different approach, a certain type of brainwashing that apparently works sooner or later. If it could work on animals, it could work on Sasuke, right? The anbu nodded to each other then decided to carry out their orders, but how easy could it be? Even though the Uchiha was tied up, he fought back. They opened the case they were brought. It was filled with different medicines that they were supposed to inject into Sasuke. One of the anbu got the needle ready while the other mixed the medicines, they felt those angry eyes on them , glaring. They even heard the slight shocking sound of the chakra controlling collar shocking him.

As soon as the medicine was ready, two of the five anbu walked over to Sasuke and kept his shoulder still and his head, one of the other anbu held the key to his chains, then the last two walked over, ready to inject the liquid. They non-to-gently forced his head to the side, exposing his jugular and neck. Sasuke gave another growl then gave a violent lurch, but his shoulder and head were held to tightly. The anbu tried to gently sooth him with comforting words and soft whispers, but the raven was not falling for it. He gave another lurch, but it failed also. The one with the needle pressed it into Sasuke jugular, hearing the pain filled hiss, it was a very long needle. The anbu slowly injected the liquid medicine into the now shaking body.

The backed off Sasuke as soon as all the medicine was in and they wiped away the blood with some alcohol. The Uchiha felt his eyelids growing heavy and his body grow sluggish. His head drooped as he stared at the ground, his mouth opening slightly to take in deeper breaths. Finally his body went limp and his eyes closed with sleep. The anbu moved to untie him, but as soon as they touched him he gave another violent lurch, making the anbu jump back. Sasuke gave a sleepy glare then passed out, his breathing returning to normal as he relaxed. The anbu untied him, the heavy metal chains dropping to the ground, then they untied his legs. Sasuke grunted in his sleep at the loud noise the chains made, making the anbu freeze to make sure he was still asleep. Once they double checked, they gently picked him up, slung him over their shoulder, and walked out of the jail cell.

The anbu arrived at the new place Sasuke would be held and they hurried inside, going to the room that would be his haven and laid him down. Soon after they shut the door and walked out, activating the area around the outside with a sort of shocking base. Then the sun began to rise. The birds began singing and the small animals began moving around with the early morning. And the dew began to settle on the grass. The sun's early rays shinned through a window onto a tired, sleeping face, making the black eyes open and look around. He had slept for less than an hour, the medicine was only supposed to last for so long. Sasuke was about to go back to sleep, then something clicked in his mind: he was comfortable. He looked around him and found himself on a bed covered with heavy blankets and his head being cradled by a soft pillow. He blinked, seeing a normal room around him. A dresser was near the window, a closet too. He sat up immediately, looking around him frantically. What the hell happened when the anbu injected that medicine into him? Did he die? No...he still felt the pain from all those beatings, he's not dead yet...then...where was he? Has the Leaf gone crazy? He was a criminal! They don't get comfort! He jumped out of bed and kicked the door open, finding himself on the second story of what seemed to be a normal house. He looked around frantically for the stairs, finding them pretty quickly then ran down, skipping two at a time. Once he reached downstairs, he froze. Just stood there. Two smiling faces, one he couldn't see the face, but the closed eye told all. He backed up a few paces and blinked several times, not saying a word.

"Good morning, Sasuke," Kakashi said first, still smiling while reading that disgusting book. Sasuke backed up against the wall, his eyes wide.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked, looking at his old friend with worried eyes. He and Kakashi knew that Sasuke would react this way, there was no doubting that.

Sasuke didn't respond. He just blinked a few more times and felt his legs grow weak, what was happening? He looked between the two, back and forth, trying to back further into the wall. Why was he even there, he was supposed to be finding a way to escape that prison, but this house would make it easier...but not with these two around. He let a deep growl out of his throat and tried to find a way out, away from the two ninja in front of him. He glanced from the stairs to them, to the door, and back to them. The door was to obvious, so he took the safety of the room he woke up in. He darted up the stairs like a frightened cat and ran into the room he was in prior. The looked out the windows, trying to find a way to escape, but he noticed a barrier outside that surrounded the house. Something to keep him in.

Naruto tried to go up the stairs, but Kakashi stopped him, going first. They walked stealthily up until they reached Sasuke's room. They found the raven hiding in the closet, hissing at them violently when they tried to drag him out. Kakashi forced Sasuke to sit on the bed, watching him very carefully. The chakra collar was still in place on his neck, keeping him from being to dangerous. Kakashi stood in front of Sasuke while Naruto went downstairs to prepare some chloroform. Kakashi showed him earlier how to prepare it, but Kakashi would use it on Sasuke. They had no choice, he had to sleep while they got everything ready. Sasuke glared at Kakashi, moving slightly, wanting to get out of the room. Immense hate was welling up inside him, but that damn collar kept him under control in the chakra aspect. He looked at the rag Naruto had in his had suspiciously, seeing the blond ninja hand the damp cloth to Kakashi.

"Sasuke, just relax, you can stop shaking now," Kakashi soothed, having Sasuke try to make a violent run towards the door. Naruto stopped him dead in his tracks and pinned him to the bed while Kakashi covered his nose and mouth with the damp cloth. Sasuke's struggled, but soon passed out due to the chloroform, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and his body went limp again.

Naruto and Kakashi looked at each other and sighed at the same time. Today was easy, but how would Sasuke be when he woke up? He was relatively calm for being in shock, but something told the ninjas that once he woke up the second time, it won't be so easy to put him back to sleep. Sasuke groaned slightly and rolled over, curling into a little ball. Naruto smiled as he watched Sasuke sleep, his new mission for god knows how long was to do a certain type of brainwashing that people do with some animals: Love and care. Kakashi was to help him do this by offering that fatherly feel, something Sasuke seriously missed out on. And Naruto was going to be something more for Sasuke, not a brother, nor a friend, but something they all knew Sasuke needed. If only they could get Sasuke to see that too.

The process was simple, they offer comfort. Going from bad conditions to better conditions everyday. At the moment, Kakashi was looking for a new chakra collar for Sasuke, one that would feel better and not be as bulky or painful to wear. After a few weeks of love and tender care, Sasuke should begin to trust them more and be more open. Then after a few months the raven's defenses that he had built up should fall. And hopefully after a year, he would be to a state where he held no more hatred. Hopefully. Kakashi stood up to go see how that new collar was coming along, walking outside the perimeter. The boundary was made for Sasuke's chakra pressure only, and his collar would shock him if he tried to leave.

Naruto stayed behind and kept a close eye on Sasuke, smiling as he ran a hand through the black hair. It wasn't soft like Naruto had hoped, but he didn't expect it to be either. It was greasy and dirty after a long time of being locked up. Even Sasuke's pale skin had a sickly, greasy glow to it. He was in desperate need of a hot shower and some hot food. Naruto stared at Sasuke's ribs, seeing them clearly when he lifted the black prison shirt up.

"His conditions were deplorable, Kakashi," Naruto said then Kakashi walked in with the new collar. Kakashi nodded and unlocked Sasuke's old collar, removing it from the pale neck. Where the collar was was a very clean part of skin, bright and radiant compared to the rest of it.

"I know."

"Is that collar water proof?"

"Yep, and dirt proof," Kakashi answered, putting the new collar on him.

The collar was pure black with a silky feel to it so it wouldn't irritate Sasuke's neck. The chakra controlling device was small and didn't touch his skin like the last one. It was very light weight. It looked like an animal's collar in a way, but at least it would keep Sasuke in check. Kakashi looked at Naruto now with sad eyes.

"You know what will happen if we can't get him to trust us, right?" Naruto gave a stiff nod and looked at Kakashi.

"I know. But he will. He may hate us, but he still cares for us somewhere in there. But it may be deep, deep down."

Sasuke gave a small grunt as he unconsciously tried to get the collar off, of course with it not working. Kakashi sighed and forced him to stop, he would scratch his neck badly if he kept trying. Naruto looked back to Kakashi and gave a small smile.

"So, can I bathe him?"

"No, let him have some independence," Kakashi chuckled. "That's one of the major steps. We'll let him bathe and I'll wash the sheets. Leave out some clothes for him in the morning before you cook breakfast." Naruto nodded. Kakashi was to busy handling Naruto's missions to stay around the clock, but Naruto would stay constantly, it was his duty after all. Sasuke needed to become comfortable with Naruto again, then he could get used to more people.

XXX

The morning came like the last one and Sasuke woke up in the same start that he did yesterday. He sat up quickly and looked around frantically, his suspicious eyes landing on neatly folded clothes on top of the dresser. He slowly stood up and read a note that was written on a small sticky note.

_Teme,_

_ Be sure to take a shower. You'll probably feel better after it. I'm making breakfast, but be sure to take your time. The bathroom is down the upstairs hall to the right, it's the room right next to yours._

_ Love, Naruto._

Sasuke put the note down and sighed, inspecting the clothes for any traps. Finding none he tried to find his way to the bathroom. Once he saw the door, only having to walk a few feet, he glared at it. It was closed, so he kicked it open, wanting to avoid any traps set by Naruto or Kakashi. Anger was boiling inside him and he had to take it out on something also. Downstairs Naruto had a smile come to his lips, Sasuke was up.

The raven put the clothes down on the rim of the sink and closed the door, locking it. He looked around the bathroom, checking everything for something that could harm him. It was obvious he was paranoid. Once everything passed his inspection he turned on the water in the shower. At the sound of it he forgot about safety and checking the water taps, he just wanted to be clean. He took off his clothes and put them in the hamper, finally noticing his reflection in the mirror. The new chakra collar stuck out with it's cleanliness and small size compared to his old one. He touched it for a second, thinking on how it got there. He brushed off the small worry and gave a disgusted look on how dirty and greasy he was. As soon as the water was to the temperature he wanted he jumped in.

A small smile came to his face that grew into a large grin, and he gave a content sigh as he felt all the grease, dirt, and grime flow off him and down the drain with the water. He looked behind him to see a bar of soap on a soap holder and a shower hanger holding shampoo and conditioner. He glared at the items for a while then shrugged off his paranoia for a minute. He just wanted to be clean. Sasuke rubbed down with the soap then washed his hair with the shampoo and conditioner, rinsing off then stepping out. He grabbed the towel hanging on the towel rack and quickly dried off, now noticing how shinny he had gotten. He looked like a would-be-skeleton if he didn't eat rats and bugs in his cell to keep him alive. Sasuke sniffed the air when he began to get dressed, smelling food. It was making his stomach growl viciously.

He finished putting on the clothes and looked in the mirror. He was wearing a clean black shirt and dark cargo pants. The clothes were baggy and comfortable, so he had no complaints, and they matched his color and style taste, partly. Sasuke peeked over the upstairs railing, overlooking the downstairs, but he couldn't see the kitchen. He walked quietly down the stairs and then saw Naruto in the kitchen, cooking. This would be the perfect chance to kill him then find a way out, maybe the key to the damned collar. Either way he wanted to get out. But before he could get close enough to take Naruto out, he froze at the familiar voice.

"Don't do anything stupid, Teme," Naruto said, turning around and smiling at Sasuke. The raven gave a cold glare, but glanced to the food then to Naruto, he was so hungry.

Naruto smiled at Sasuke and put a plate full of eggs, bacon, and other breakfast foods down on the kitchen table, seeing Sasuke's skeptical look.

"There not poisoned," Naruto sighed.

"They could easily be poisoned," Sasuke hissed back, backing away from the food slightly. Naruto rubbed his eyes, he was hoping hunger would make Sasuke forget about anything like that.

"I'll eat it myself then."

"You could have easily dosed yourself with the poison over a long period of time while I was locked up, becoming immune," Sasuke growled, glaring at Naruto.

"Sasuke, I would not poison your food, please just eat."

"No. Not until I'm sure."

"And how will you be sure?"

Sasuke's eyes darted around the room and landed on a fish in a bowl. Why nit was there he didn't know.

"Pour the food in the fish's bowl. If it eats it then dies, it's poisoned." Naruto rolled his eyes but took a small bit of the eggs and put it in the bowl, then a small part of the bacon, then the toast, then the jelly, and continuing on. The fish nibbled on the food, and after about 30 minutes of waiting it didn't die. Naruto picked up the bowl and put the fish in a glass filled with water, he had to clean it out now. Sasuke bit into the food quickly, common sense telling him not to eat to fast. He forced himself to slow down so he wouldn't get sick, ignoring how close Naruto was, the fox being right behind him, leaning against the wall, watching him eat. Sasuke swallowed the last bite and sighed happily, then jumped up, facing Naruto.

"Where am I?" He hissed out, backing away from Naruto. The blond fox sighed and smiled.

"In a holding home in the Leaf. You're to stay here."

"As my prison now? Why? Why stay here?" Sasuke growled out, looking for a way out. Naruto sighed and looked at him with a frown.

"You can relax, I'm not going to hut you, Teme. I'll answer your questions, how about that," He said, walking into the living room and sat down on the couch, watching Sasuke sit down in the recliner a little ways from Naruto.

"Why am I here?" He hissed, glaring at him. Naruto smiled at Sasuke, hoping to keep him calm and make some sort of connection.

"I think that's obvious...thanks to me and Kakashi-"

"Kakashi and me," Sasuke corrected, glaring at Naruto. The fox smiled and nodded.

"Kakashi and me, thanks to us you have a second chance. You are to be contained here until you're...rehabilitated."

Sasuke chuckled and shook his head.

"Rehabilitate me? Seriously, what kind of idiot do you take me for!" He yelled at Naruto. "So you want to reconstruct me? Refurbish me? Salvage whom you all 'think I once was?' Is that it?"

"Sasuke, please, try to calm down, if you don't and your chakra spikes, then-"

"Then WHAT!" Sasuke yelled, then gave a pained yelp when the chakra collar shocked him. He slumped in the chair, panting as the electrical shocks left his body, having his fingers and legs twitch slightly due to the aftershocks. Naruto nodded a little to himself, he was told that the new collar would teach Sasuke anger control. Each time it shocked him, it would grow in strength, but each time exactly 3 weeks pass without it going off, it looses some of the electrical power as a small reward for not loosing his temper.

Naruto rubbed his eyes, already Sasuke was draining him of his energy, it seemed impossible, but he was. Sasuke finally moved after the shock and glared at Naruto, hate brewing in his eyes.

"I tried to warn you," Naruto said, looking at Sasuke sadly. The raven just continued to glare and tried to stand up, falling. He would have hit the coffee table hard, if it wasn't for Naruto's arms catching him and keeping him from falling. Sasuke was gripping Naruto's arms, until he saw what he was doing and jumped back, pushing Naruto away from him. He quickly walked up stairs, trying to keep his anger from boiling over again. As soon as his door slammed Naruto slumped against the couch, rubbing his hair. He just didn't know what to do with Sasuke, at this rate, Sasuke wouldn't get any better, just worse. Naruto had to find a way to connect with Sasuke.

XXX

Sabbia: New story! Hope you stick with it cause I'm planning for this one to be long!

Sasuke: So, review to let Sabbia know what's she doing good at and what she needs to work on. Or just what you think.

Sabbia: Also, I want to hear from you what you think Naruto needs to do to get Sasuke rehabilitated, how can our lovely blond fox earn Sasuke's trust?

Naruto: R&R people!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"Talking"

_Thinking_

_A note before we start: _One of my friends pointed out to me that there can be no Stockholm Syndrome in the Naruto world, as there is no place named Stockholm like there is in our world. Also, I have been receiving many nasty comments about people that do not understand this story. The point of the first chapter is not to make everything crystal-clear, give it a few chapters, then ask me questions. Thank you. Now~ Onto what we've been waiting for!

XXX

Sasuke's breathing was even as he slept, curled up in the warm blankets. His eyes slowly opened a little as he looked around the room. He blinked a few times before remembering everything that had happened the last day. He sat up, through not quickly, he had a splitting headache from the shock. He looked around him but flopped back down on the bed, to lazy to get up. He rolled over slowly and looked out the window with tired eyes, he wanted to go somewhere, but he didn't where it was. His eyes closed again, then he heard a gentle knock on his door. His eyes flew open as he jumped out of bed, looking for a weapon, they were going to attack him!

"Sasuke?" Naruto's soft voice called from the other side. The fox sighed, rubbing his eyes. Just a few minutes earlier when he was still asleep he had the most amazing wet dream, about Sasuke of course. He licked his dry lips and called again, more firm but still soft and gentle, "Sasuke, you awake? I made some breakfast, come on downstairs and eat."

"I don't want to," Sasuke answered back in a hiss. Naruto sighed again.

"Sasuke, please eat something. Your ribs are still showing, please? Sasuke?"

Naruto's pleading voice made Sasuke's eyes narrow, but his stomach was growling in hunger that had built up over the time he spent locked up. Finally Sasuke opened the door to glare at Naruto.

"Go," he growled out, Naruto heading downstairs first, Sasuke following once he was a safe distance away. The raven sighed deeply and sat down at the table, Naruto giving him the same meal he had the other day, but this time there was more food than before. Naruto watched with a small smile and loving eyes as Sasuke ate, wishing the raven would slow down and talk to him about things.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked, seeing the raven swallow and look at him, an eyebrow raised. "Is there anything I can do to make you happier while you stay here?"

Sasuke sat up straighter, noticing he was crouched over his food like an animal, he had been living off of rats and bugs for to long, crouching over them as if they were his life. He continued to glare at Naruto though, in truth he always wanted a pet, but he couldn't tell Naruto that, it would make him look week.

"No."

"Grandma Tsunade has asked me to ask you to keep a journal. Write things in it like what you did today and yesterday, how you feel, what you want or need," Naruto gave a bright smile at Sasuke, seeing the dark look appear back in those black eyes.

"You mean a diary?"

"Well...yeah...basically...you really don't have a choice, I'm sorry..." Naruto chuckled, seeing Sasuke stand up, his plate cleared and basically licked cleaned. The raven rolled his eyes and growled to himself as he went into the living room and laid down on the couch. He tried to stay awake, wanting to keep aware of what was happening, but going to up his room was to much work, he was to tired. Soon his eyes slipped closed and his arms tightened around him to hold his sides, his legs closing together and his knees drawing up close to his chest as he laid on his side. His mouth opened, but barely. Either way he looked peaceful and not like there was anger or hate in him at all.

Naruto sat down in one of the seats, smiling as he watched Sasuke drift off into his dreams. He had the urge to touch him, run his fingers through the black hair and gently kiss the pale skin and rosy red lips. But Naruto knew that to do that would mean for him to risk loosing the little trust he had gained with Sasuke, he would just have to wait. Maybe one day he could be that close to Sasuke, but he didn't see it anytime soon, at least he had his dreams. Naruto stood up and grabbed a blanket that was in a near by closet then draped it over Sasuke, the raven jumping awake to look around him with wide eyes. Naruto smiled and shushed him without touching him.

"It's OK, just a blanket, and a pillow to help you sleep. I'm going to go take a nap myself," Naruto said, handing Sasuke a pillow. The raven took it with suspicious eyes, but tried to keep his anger from boiling over.

Sasuke closed his eyes again after Naruto went upstairs and curled up in the blanket, falling back asleep immediately. Naruto went up to his room and locked the door, he was told to in case Sasuke found the sharp objects. Naruto flopped down on his bed and tried to remember where his dream left off, falling asleep before he could.

Naruto felt the shiver run through Sasuke's body from under him, the pale hands tugging at his shirt as they softly kissed. Naruto was in heaven, gently moving his knee to rub Sasuke softly between the legs and rubbing their tongues together. They finally parted, their lust coated eyes staring into each others, their lips brushing together. Naruto smiled and gently butted their foreheads together, running his hands down Sasuke's sides softly.

"Sasuke," He mumbled softly, closing his eyes. "You have no idea how long I've waited this...for us to just be happy together." Sasuke didn't answer but give a small smile, running his hand through Naruto's hair to grip it gently. They kissed softly again, Sasuke closing his eyes and opening his mouth immediately, shivering again as Naruto's tongue rubbed against his. Naruto rested his hands on Sasuke's hips, then began to undo the button and zipper on the pants, but he then realized this was his dream, and it always stopped here.

Naruto sat up in bed quickly, half hard. He growled at himself, why did it always stop there? He sighed deeply, still annoyed at himself for stopping the dream in the same place as always. Naruto got out of bed and went out of his room, down the stairs, to see Sasuke missing from the couch. The raven couldn't have gone into his room, the door was wide open, Sasuke would have closed it. The blond fox checked in the kitchen and every where else, until he noticed the open back door. He sighed, hopefully Sasuke didn't electrocute himself trying to escape. Naruto walked out to see Sasuke laying on the grass, looking up at the sky.

"Sasuke, what are you doing?" Naruto asked, standing beside him, but out of reach of Sasuke.

"Fresh air, Dope. Is it against the rules for me to be outside now?" he growled. Naruto could tell Sasuke was trying to keep calm, but Naruto knew that if the raven just saw him he was angry.

"No, I was just worried is all," Naruto answered back, smiling. "Can I sit by you?"

"I don't know, can you speak properly?"

"May I sit by you?"

"No," Sasuke growled, closing his eyes. Naruto sighed quietly and looked to the sky, large, dark, foreboding clouds moving in.

"Come on back inside, it might rain," Naruto stated, seeing Sasuke look at the clouds himself. But the raven made no attempt to move.

"I'll go in when it starts raining," As he finished his statement, a rain drop landed in the middle of his forehead. Sasuke growled and got up, going inside without looking at Naruto. The blond ninja followed him inside, shutting and locking the door as the rain began to fall harder. Sasuke listened to the rain fall as he sat down on the couch, gripping his arms as he heard some distant thunder. He let out a yawn, the rain always made him so sleepy. Why has he been so tired? He understood his body wanting to rest after all those beatings and after he had to force himself to stay awake, when he fell asleep was when he got the worst beatings. His eyelids began to grow very heavy as he began to barely rock back and forth with sleep.

Of course that was short lived when a loud crack of thunder made Sasuke jump. The rain was pounding the earth harder than before and the wind howled. Then Sasuke got another adrenalin rush as the lights went out with a loud _ZAP! _Naruto found his way from the kitchen into the living room, calling into the darkness.

"Sasuke? You OK?" he asked, hearing Sasuke's voice come at him in a deep growl.

"I'm fine."

"Hold on, I'll get some light," Naruto said, fishing around in the kitchen for some candles and flashlights. He turned on one of the flashlights and placed it on the kitchen table he got some candles and took them in the other room where Sasuke was, lightning them. The room was soon filled with a blue light as lightning flashed and the thunder roared again. Naruto looked at Sasuke in the candle light, wishing he could hold Sasuke close while the storm passed.

The front door opened as Kakashi hurried in, closing it against the strong wind. Sasuke's glare intensified as the white haired man walked in, but the bag he was holding interested the raven.

"Kakashi?" Naruto blinked in surprise, what was he doing here during the storm?

"Yeah, Sasuke, Naruto, how's it going?" Kakashi said. He smirked under his mask, making sure Sasuke couldn't tell, but for the raven, hearing Kakashi acknowledge him first was a good thing, even if Sasuke didn't recognize it. Thunder roared again, cracking with lightning right afterwords.

"Sasuke," Kakashi began, looking at the raven. "Why don't you go take a nap? Until the storm passes?"

"No," Sasuke growled out, like he would sleep with them both here. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at him, taking off his wet coat and hanging it up.

"Sasuke, please, I have to discuss things with Naruto."

"Let me guess, me?" Sasuke hissed, standing up in defense. Kakashi nodded.

"That's right."

Naruto remained sitting and smiled at Sasuke.

"Go to sleep, Sasuke, I can tell your tired," he soothed, trying to get Sasuke to calm down.

"Like hell I will!" Sasuke yelled, feeling the beginning of some electrical shocks from the collar. His chakra was spiking again.

"Sasuke, calm down," Kakashi said, trying to keep him from hurting himself with the electrical shock again. But Sasuke didn't calm down, he growled louder and backed away from the two.

"I said no!" That did it, the collar shocked him with more power than the last time, making him grip it and fall to the ground, hitting the floor painfully hard. Naruto tried to catch him, but Kakashi stopped him, they to would receive the shock if they tried to touch Sasuke until it was done.

The collar stopped the electrical impulses, but Sasuke remained twitching and gripping at the collar tightly, thankfully he didn't bite his tongue. As soon as Kakashi let Naruto go, the fox was at Sasuke's side, gently holding him in his arms. Sasuke's teeth were clenched tightly in pain and his eyes shut tightly. Kakashi knelled beside them and gently tried to pry Sasuke's hands off the collar, finally cooing him into letting go. Sasuke twitched again and coughed, opening his eyes slightly. His vision was blurry, but he could see Kakashi and Naruto. The blond fox was begging Kakashi not to do something, but Sasuke could barely understand, all he heard was a high pitched buzzing that was slowly fading away, allowing him to hear the thunder. Sasuke glanced at a sharp needle Kakashi was holding, some odd purple liquid inside the container. His eyes widened slightly, but he now heard Kakashi gently shushing him and felt Naruto fingers gently run through his hair soothingly.

Kakashi pushed the needle into Sasuke's neck and injected the purple liquid. Sasuke whined in pain, but Naruto was softly soothing him with his voice, trying to make Sasuke calm down.

"It's OK, you'll be fine when you wake up, I promise," Naruto whispered to him, Sasuke started to feel very tired, worse than before. He leaned closer to the warm body holding him, seeking warmth. Kakashi looked at Naruto and smiled, knowing that Naruto was enjoying hold Sasuke a little to much. Sasuke finally fell asleep, his breathing evening out as his body went lax and limp. Naruto smiled as he looked at the sleeping face. He was saddened that Sasuke got shocked again, but at least he could rest it off. The shock couldn't harm him mentally or even physically harm him for a long term period. He was safe from brain damage and muscle damage, but that didn't mean he wouldn't hurt for a few hours after he woke up. Naruto gently picked Sasuke up and walked upstairs, it was darker up there due to the lack of candles, but Naruto managed to get up the stairs.

Naruto laid Sasuke down on the raven's bed and pulled the blankets over him, smiling again. He would never get this close to Sasuke is the medicine wasn't forcing him to stay asleep. Naruto gently kissed Sasuke's forehead then shut the door. He went back down stairs and sat on the couch, looking at Kakashi who was sitting in one of the recliners.

"What do you need to talk about?" Naruto asked, now serious.

"About how to get Sasuke to trust you," Kakashi replied. "So far, his condition isn't getting any better, have you thought of any ways to get him to open up to you?" Kakashi felt crestfallen when Naruto shook his head.

"No, not a thing. Maybe if we get him a pet? Something he can connect with?"

"Not a good idea right now. How's the journal coming?"

"He's refusing to do it..."

"Lock his room."

Naruto head shot up as he looked at Kakashi in shock.

"What? Why?"

"Lock him in his room with food that won't spoil and the journal, with a pencil and eraser. He'll have to write then."

"But...I don't want Sasuke hating me..."

"Then I'll do it, you take a few sleeping pills and go to bed yourself, it's later than you think. I'll monitor Sasuke tomorrow while you go out and enjoy life." Kakashi looked at Naruto and gave a comforting smile. "It'll be OK, he'll open up to us. Just give it some time, he needs to learn that we don't want to harm him first."

Kakashi opened his book, showing that the conversation was over. Naruto stood back up, hearing another blast of thunder. He walked up stairs, but stopped at Kakashi's voice.

"You might want to kiss him, it will probably be a while before you get another chance." Naruto felt his heart jump and quicken he went back into Sasuke's room, closing the door and gently touched Sasuke's forehead, then ran his fingers through the black hair. He leaned closer to Sasuke until their lips brushed together, Naruto's heart pounded in his chest as he licked his lips, barely having his tongue brushing up against Sasuke's. Naruto softly touched their lips and pressed slightly harder then he meant to, moving his lips slowly against Sasuke's. Sasuke made a small noise and gave a small jerk, it wasn't violent, but it basically was Sasuke's sub-conscious telling Naruto to back off. Naruto forced himself apart from Sasuke, already becoming hard. He sighed deeply and stood up, and went to the door, looking at the sleeping raven. Naruto forced himself to leave, knowing he could have done so much more. He closed the door and saw a thumbs up from Kakashi in the dim candle light. He walked into his room, locked the door, then went to his own bathroom, popping some into his mouth and swallowing them without any water. He drank some water from the tap to help the pills dissolve faster then laid down on his bed. He had to trust Kakashi, seeing what Sasuke thought about things in that journal was important.

Naruto stared up at the ceiling, wondering if he could have kept kissing the raven, but pushed the thoughts away. He needed to sleep. He began to feel the medicine working it's magic as he yawned and felt his eyes being forced closed. The blond fox was pushed into his dreams as he nodded off, his breathing becoming deep and even. Kyuubi closed his eyes from inside Naruto and thought, he knew the anger Sasuke had, he knew ways to get the raven to open up, but what was the fun telling his kit that now? Later maybe, but not now.

XXX

Kakashi locked Sasuke's room door when he heard the Uchiha beginning to stir. He hated to do it, but Sasuke needed to write down his thoughts and how things have been going, it was essential in checking his mental condition as well as his emotional state. Kakashi placed his back against the door, a second after hearing the door handle jiggle, then felt a rough slam on the other side. Sasuke kept slamming into the door with his shoulder until it hurt and he heard Kakashi's smooth, calming voice come from the other side.

"Sasuke, I'll let you out in a minute, see that journal on the bedside table with a pencil? Write at least a page about your stay so far, then you can be let out," Kakashi heard the growl and knew that Sasuke was no kicking the door and beating against it, trying to get free.

"Let me out!" Sasuke yelled in near panic, he hated being locked up. The window was an option, but his legs still hurt from his time in prison, he wouldn't land without hurting himself. He didn't care about being stuck in the house much, at least he could walk around and go where he liked and when he liked, but this was restricting him again.

"I already told you what you have to do, Sasuke," Kakashi replied in the same tone of voice, it had an undertone of fatherly authority. Sasuke hit the door once more before glaring at the wood.

"Let me out," he hissed, jumping as the house made a loud creak, the wood in the building adjusting to the air conditioner turning on and shooting out cold air all over the place. He thought it was another attack, another beating. His muscles tensed quickly as he got ready for the hit, but nothing came. His anger was boiling over again, but he tried to keep it under control, not wanting to feel that pain again.

Sasuke finally looked over to the black, leather bound small journal and pencil. He growled deeply and picked it up and the pencil. He couldn't write, never had been able to. Writing he was horrible at. He hissed as he sat down on the bed and tried to think of how to start. He knew he had to write about his stay, but what about it? How he felt? What he did? This would be a very boring journal indeed. The raven decided to go ahead and get it over with, the sooner he did the sooner he would be free from this room. He began to scribble down on the paper, his hand writing was atrocious after the long absence of not writing anything.

Kakashi smiled happily when Sasuke stopped beating on the door, maybe he was writing? The white haired man took out his book and decided to read some, looking at the roof when another small rumble of thunder echoed in the sky. The storm was larger than he thought, a hurricane was reported on the coast many miles away, but it managed to reach all the way here with still some force in it. And from what he heard, the worst had yet to come, but it was expected in a week in time if the storm itself survived for long enough. So Kakashi had been preparing the home for the incident, getting plenty of water, candles, matches, and flash lights. Even canned food and other foods that wouldn't spoil. He gathered extra blankets in case the power went out for along time and even ordered a special backup generator for the home, to keep the power running just in case until the backup generator failed. Kakashi even made some of the old anbu he knew make special seals to protect the house from damage.

As soon as Sasuke knocked on the door again, Kakashi opened and took the journal form the outstretched hand.

"Thank you, Sasuke. Now that wasn't so painful, now was it?" Kakashi chuckled, taking a daring chance and ruffled Sasuke's hair, quickly fleeing right afterwords downstairs. Sasuke blinked as his hair was ruffled and then the culprit retreated to the safety of the bottom floor. He shook his head and growled, going downstairs himself to find some food. Kakashi watched from over the journal what Sasuke was doing, seeing the raven find an apple and bite into it.

"You don't want a cookie?" Kakashi asked, seeing the raven glare at him when he walked out of the kitchen.

"No," Sasuke hissed, not being able to retreat back into his room before Kakashi stopped him.

"Sasuke, sit down here for a minute, please?" He asked, hearing the deep growl from the Uchiha's throat. "Just for a minute, I promise it won't be long."

Sasuke eyed Kakashi suspiciously, but decided to sit down and listen. He knew the man would just follow him other wise. The raven sat down on the couch, making sure he was as far away from Kakashi as possible.

_Well it's a start..._ Kakashi thought happily, he wanted to be optimistic about everything the raven did, find some good thing behind it.

"Well?" Sasuke growled, glaring at the man. Kakashi kept the journal open but put it on his lap.

"Sasuke, I know you would much rather be completely free, but what is it that you wish we had more of? What do you wish you could do here to keep yourself entertained?" Kakashi smiled under his mask, hoping he was giving a fatherly feel to Sasuke.

"Nothing," Sasuke hissed back. The raven didn't know it, but he did enjoy that fatherly feel Kakashi was giving him, he wanted to move closer, to be closer, but his body refused. He didn't want to give in, never.

"Sasuke," Kakashi said in a fatherly, authoritative tone. "Tell me the truth. In your journal you mentioned that you would like more things to do while here. Tell me what you had in mind."

Kakashi waited patiently, meeting Sasuke's black, cold eyes with his own warm, happy ones. He could tell that Sasuke was contemplating on if he should share this information with the older man. Sasuke looked away at the wall, not wanting to hold eye contact any longer, his arms were crossed and his foot tapped quietly, it was a habit he worked up, a habit he only did when thinking.

"Would organizing a board game night help? Maybe get some movies and replace them once you watched them all?" Kakashi suggested, seeing a small nod come from Sasuke. Those were the only things they could actually do until Sasuke was permitted well enough to go outside of the boundaries of the home. Sasuke growled quietly to himself, wanting to be left alone for the rest of the day. He knew that Kakashi sensed it from him.

"Can I go now?" Sasuke asked, looking back at the white haired man.

"Not yet," Kakashi answered, hearing the deep growl that came from Sasuke's throat. "Would you like for me to wake up Naruto and let us all do something now?"

"No."

"Want me to go get a few movies for you?" Kakashi's smiled brightened when Sasuke gave a small nod. "OK, Sasuke, that's all, you can go now. I'll let you know when I'm back." Kakashi stood up and left the home, not bothering to lock the door. That chakra collar might keep Sasuke under control, but the odd thing about it though was that of someone who's chakra signature that wasn't built into the shield, the collar would release Sasuke's chakra, just enough of it so he could kill the person breaking in. Then after the unknown chakra disappeared, the collar would slowly start to seal Sasuke's chakra back to what it once was before the intruder came. In a way, Sasuke was the perfect guard dog.

Sasuke stood up as soon as he was dismissed and went up to his room, collapsing on the bed, so tired for no reason. His eyes closed, and finally a thought struck him, he hadn't seen Naruto since he passed out. It felt weird without the dope saying something to him, was he asleep?

_Stop worrying about him._ He hissed to himself. _Ignore him, he dragged you out of your freedom and into a life of imprisonment._ Sasuke rolled onto his side, his back facing the door, not realizing that Naruto was awake and was contemplating onto talking to the raven. Naruto leaned on the wall outside of Sasuke's room, hearing Kyuubi's soft, dangerous whispers to go in there and claim him, mark him so no one else could. But Naruto refused, he refused to be like an animal and force himself on Sasuke. That small kiss when the raven was sleeping was what was keeping Naruto warm at night, knowing that sooner or later he could do more, he just had to wait. Wait a little longer.

XXX

Sabbia: Sorry for not writing much! I've been really busy lately!

Sasuke: R&R people!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"Talking"

_Thinking_

"_Kyuubi Talking."_

Note: I decided to skip a few chapters to get to this part, it might clear some things up that some people are to inpatient to wait for, so here is some info that people have been wanting to know since chapter 1. Hope this clears everything up for those that refused to wait. Now, onto the show~! Hope you like it!

XXX

Naruto sighed as he walked down the stairs quietly, all ready to do. That morning he did the same thing he always did: drug Sasuke's food so he would fall asleep some time in the afternoon. But today was different, today he was told to drug it more than usual so Sasuke would stay asleep for a few hours after breakfast so Naruto could leave Sasuke unsupervised. So now Naruto looked at Sasuke sleeping peacefully on the couch. The poor raven didn't even make it out of the kitchen, the shock from the other day was probably still making him more tired than usual. But Naruto couldn't refuse the meeting with Tsunade, he had some business to settle. So he left the home, locking the door out of worry for someone going inside when Sasuke was sleeping. Regardless of the collar's systems of releasing Sasuke's chakra, Sasuke couldn't defend himself if he was asleep.

The villagers said hello to Naruto with happy faces, but Naruto never responded, anger building up inside him. He wasn't happy, he hadn't been since he found out he was to care for Sasuke. He would have been happier, if he knew Sasuke was captured in the first place. So Naruto stormed into the mansion and to Tsunade's office. He didn't bother to knock, he just threw the door open and walked up to her desk, ignoring the fact there were anbu and other people in the office.

"Oh, Naruto, good to see your here...is there something wrong?" Tsunade asked, seeing the blue eyes turning red in rage.

"Why the fuck did you not tell me that you captured Sasuke half a year ago? AND have been torturing him? You wonder why he's so bittier at the village? That was probably why!" Naruto yelled, slamming a hand down on Tsunade's desk.

"We didn't want to tell you in case you tried to push for his freedom, the village wasn't ready for the announcement that he would be freed on the account of him being rehabilitated just during his first week of imprisonment," Tsunade explained calmly, seeing none of it got through to Naruto. She didn't expect it to.

"So you decided to let those bastards beat him and make him starve half to death? He survived on rodents! But yet you still question me every day, "how is he, Naruto?" NOT BETTER! Because you decided to lock him up for half a fucking year!"

"Naruto! Calm down, you don't understand the reason why-"

"There was no good reason why you did it! Yeah he did some things wrong but no one deserves to be treated like that! No one!" Naruto growled, Kyuubi chuckling deeply, letting his chakra mix with the boy's own.

"Naruto, we tried everything in that prison-"

"You mean beatings, psychological torture, and starvation? What else? Dumping him in cold water and making him hold his breath? Electroshock therapy? All things that pisses a person off even more?"

"Well, yes. Those were recommended treatments, but-"

"But what?" Naruto hissed, seeing Tsunade take a deep breath then let it out as she was trying to calm down.

"We found a new treatment, or call it a condition or a syndrome that was discovered in another country. We know your feelings for Sasuke have been developing since you were children, and we have reason to believe Sasuke shares those same feelings, though he has yet to accept the fact himself."

"Get. To. The. Point."

"They don't have a name for it yet. But it's where an inmate starts to develop feelings for their captor."

"I'm not his captor. _I _didn't capture him. His captor was you," Naruto growled again, now he sorta knew Sasuke's anger, though not on the same scale.

"OK, so your his caretaker. The point remains the same he-"

"I'm not his caretaker either. I want to be his friend. But you know this is a very bad time for me to be caring for someone I deeply care for..."

"I know it's the time of year Kyuubi goes into heat, Naruto, but you know how to control him now and thus that need. Given some of it escapes. Not like you've done anything to Sasuke yet."

"I kissed him when he was sleeping due to medicine."

"...That's creepy and try not to do it again."

"Kakashi told me to," Naruto said, getting irritated.

"Regardless, we believe that if we can try to copy this syndrome, then we can being to understand Sasuke better. OK?"

"I just have one request."

"What is it?"

"Get rid of that damn collar. Give him one that controls his chakra and releases when there's an intruder, but not one that shocks."

"What if he tries to escape the boundaries?"

"OK, _only _if he tried to get out of the boundaries, but he's not stupid! Just stop the shocking whenever his chakra spikes, it's cruel had horrid!" Naruto half yelled. Finally feeling a little better when Tsunade held up her hands in surrender.

"OK, OK! I'll get him a new collar."

"A comfortable one that's looser, one that won't irritate his neck or be to tight."

"Right...better?"

"Better," Naruto replied in still slight anger. Now he wanted to get back home, but he needed to know one more thing before he did. "Did Kakashi know about his capture?"

"No, we kept you both in the dark."

Naruto shook his head in disgust before leaving. Heading back home at a quick pace he stared at the ground in thought, only looking up to see where he was going. As soon as he passed the barrier and unlocked the door, he noticed Sasuke was still sleeping on the couch, curled up in a little ball. A smile came over Naruto's face, his anger diminishing from earlier. At least Sasuke was out of that torture and would be treated better. Now if only that new collar could get here, then Sasuke could have his rage and dispel it instead of it building up inside him and festering like a disease. It wouldn't take long, they just had to remove the largest component of the device then put the rest it in a thin strap of leather.

Sasuke began to stir when Naruto went into the kitchen to prepare lunch, not dropping any of the sleeping medication into the food this time, thinking that Sasuke only needed it in the morning. It was more than just a sleeping medication, it was filled with anti-bodies and vitamins to help recover Sasuke's health and to raise him immune system's strength. Naruto wasn't opposed to the idea, except the sleeping part. But he knew Kakashi would ask Tsunade to remove the sleeping component and leave only the things that could help Sasuke, the man told Naruto himself that morning. Naruto finished preparing the meal then went into the living room, seeing Sasuke stretching.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked, the raven jumping then turning around to face him with a scowl.

"What?"

"Lunch is ready," Naruto said, smiling when Sasuke went into the kitchen and picked up a plate of food. He looked at it quizzically, it wasn't a plate, it was a bowl...of ramen. He looked at Naruto questioningly, seeing Naruto smile.

"Sorry, want me to make you something else?" He asked, not having an answer, instead Sasuke sat down and began to eat happily. Sasuke supposed any food was good, he didn't want to go hungry again, he would eat anything but rodents and bugs. That and the change of pace of the usual chicken, broccoli and rice was good. He looked around for something to drink when he was done, hearing a slight _pop_ then _fizz_ of something.

"Soda?" Naruto asked him, holding out the open bottle to Sasuke, wondering if he would take it from his hand. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he studied Naruto's smiling face and the hand holding the drink. He just saw Naruto open it, so he knew it wasn't poisoned, but would Naruto try to attack him if he reached out for it? Sasuke decided to take the chance and took the bottle, only seeing Naruto pick up the bowls afterwords and then to the sink, cleaning them off. Sasuke took a small sip of the drink, not really liking the taste.

"What flavor is this?" He asked, looking at Naruto's back as the fox kept washing of the dishes.

"Cream Soda, why, don't like it?" He asked back, seeing Sasuke shake his head.

"Never have."

"Sorry, I'll ask Kakashi to get another flavor next time." Naruto put the dishes away and smiled at Sasuke, seeing the stern glare in return. But it lacked some of the hate it did before, not much, but some. Naruto watched as Sasuke seemed to study him for a minute, Naruto just stood there and looked back at him, waiting for Sasuke to say something.

"What's your deal, Naruto?" Sasuke finally asked him, finished studying the blond man, but now looking at Naruto sternly.

"My deal?"

"Why the hell are you feeding me and asking me if I like things or not?" Sasuke asked, seeing Naruto shrug and smile.

"I want you happy, that's all," Naruto said in a calm voice, walking back into the living room, growling inwardly at Kyuubi. 'You had a perfect chance to take him then!' the demon kept hissing at him. Why did Tsunade feel the need to tell him that they captured Sasuke now? Of all times? Naruto laid down on the couch, hearing the growl come from Sasuke.

"You're in my spot."

"Sorry," Naruto sighed, rolling off the couch and settled down in one of the recliners. He saw Sasuke go to the TV set and look at the videos that Kakashi brought, at least he was doing something other than sleep and glare at people.

"Can you get some books here, too?" Sasuke asked, not looking at Naruto but keeping his sights on the videos he was looking through.

"We can, any specifics you would like?"

"No romance, no comedy. Horrors, action/thrillers, mangas-"

"Wait, you read magna?" Naruto asked, seeing those dark eyes land on him.

"Doesn't everybody?" Sasuke responded then put the movie he chose in, putting some to one side some to the other.

"Why are you separating them?"

"Tell Kakashi to take these back," Sasuke said, picking up one of the stacks and set them on the table.

"Why? They scratched?"

"Romances and comedies."

Sasuke sat on the couch, ignoring Naruto as the movie began to play the previews and copy-write laws. Naruto sighed, knowing Sasuke he picked out a horror based on the previews. As the title screen came up Sasuke snatched up the remote on the table and clicked play, hearing Naruto's sigh, but ignored it.

_So he's ignoring me now? Better than yelling and glaring at me like usual._ Naruto thought with little enthusiasm. Seemed Sasuke would only talk to him if he needed something. As the movie began to play Naruto watched the screen as it started out with a girl running through a forest with someone chasing her, then she died and so on and so forth. He then looked to Sasuke, seeing the raven watching the screen with intensity, or what seemed like it. Most likely just pretending to be interested in the movie so Naruto wouldn't start up another conversation, or try to. The blond fox gave an inward sigh and went back to watching the screen, wanting to do more than just sit here, but he wanted Sasuke to know that he wouldn't leave him just because he was bored to death.

Sasuke growled, but kept the movie playing when a knock came from the door. Naruto stood up quickly and opened it carefully, seeing an anbu hold out a new collar.

"Orders are for me to help you get it on him," the anbu said, going inside without Naruto's consent. Sasuke stopped the movie and glared at the anbu, his muscles tensing, ready to run.

"Sasuke, clam down," Naruto cooed him, seeing the black eyes go to him then back to the anbu. "We have a new collar for you, one that won't shock you if you get angry, OK?" Naruto went up to Sasuke with the new collar, letting the Uchiha see it.

It was black but with a Celtic knot design along the outside in gold coloring. From just holding it Naruto could tell it was very soft. He wouldn't put it on tightly, just enough so Sasuke couldn't slip it off. Naruto had the key to lock it, and waited for Sasuke's consent.

"You know I'll try to escape once this one is off," Sasuke said, still not looking at Naruto. The fox , nodded, he knew Sasuke that well. The raven's eyes landed on him now set in a cold look. Naruto took the old key from the anbu and put it in the small lock, the key was tiny, smaller than Naruto's pinky finger, the lock was just the same. Naruto didn't turn the key, he felt those eyes on him, watching him intently, waiting for that chance that the collar was off him. Naruto turned the key, but Sasuke didn't move, not an inch, not a centimeter, he was barely breathing.

Finally Naruto took off the collar, seeing the calm black eyes still watching him. Sasuke still didn't move, he just watched, but the anbu was tense, a hand on his sword. Then it happened, Sasuke ran, the anbu cut him off quickly, Sasuke's chakra still had yet to return fully, so he was till weak, but it was flooding back. Naruto kept the new collar and the new key in his hand as he jumped on Sasuke, pinning him to the ground and forcing the collar around his neck, locking it as quickly as possible. Sasuke gave a grunt as they both got off him, but also at the fact his chakra was being restricted again. He laid there for a while, waiting for the collar to finish pressuring his chakra.

The anbu took the key away and left quickly, before Naruto could get onto him for hitting Sasuke with the handle of his blade. Sasuke was growling to himself in anger, he knew he should have gone with his plan B instead of A. he slowly got up, feeling Naruto touch his back gently, only to have Sasuke shake it off. He glared at Naruto, his anger boiling, then his chakra spiked, but was only repressed...no shock...no pain, just that feeling of his power being restrained. He touched the collar, it wasn't as tight as the last one or the one before that, it was loose, it moved a little, not tightly placed. But it wasn't so loose that it would rub against his neck and irritate the skin when it did move. He looked at Naruto with angry eyes, but with shock as well.

Naruto smiled at him, keeping his looks soft despite the fact Sasuke gave him a painful elbow in the stomach.

"Like it? I asked Tsunade to change it for you, so you can be more comfortable."

"Why?" Sasuke asked, looking at Naruto with shocked eyes.

"It's better to work out your anger than to hold it all in, isn't it?" Naruto asked back, sitting back down in his recliner. "So, want to finish this movie or what?"

Sasuke walked back over to the couch and hit play on the movie, seeing Naruto's eyes go to the screen. Sasuke looked at it as well, thinking carefully about the course of events. He then concentrated on the movie, might as well view this time as vacation time, just minus the fun and being able to go places. The movie kept rolling for a good hour before it began to roll the credits. Naruto stretched when he stood up and yawned, looking out the window, seeing it was already getting dark.

"Hungry?" He asked, seeing Sasuke give a slow nod, watching him carefully like he was some sort of maniac. "What do you want? Rice? Soup? Steak?"

"You have steak?" Sasuke asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but I'll have to cut it up for you, no one trust you with sharp objects," Naruto chuckled, going to into the kitchen. He got out the lumps of meat form the freezer and put them in a machine Kakashi brought him just the day before when Sasuke was sleeping, a steak maker apparently. Naruto places the lumps of equally sized meat inside it, both weighing about 4 ounces or so. He closed the lid and set it on well done, hearing the sizzle as the meat began to cook and it's juices began to come out. He got out the bag of rice he had been using and with the bag of vegetables and began to heat them both up on the stove. At least he was learning how to cook.

Naruto looked behind him as Sasuke walked in, sitting down at the table, watching Naruto curiously.

"Want a snack while I finish cooking?" Naruto asked, glancing at Sasuke as he put the bag of rice and vegetables up while the rest cooked on the stove. The raven shook his head but kept his eyes on Naruto, his stomach growling at him. Naruto smiled at Sasuke when the food was done, setting it down on the table, watching Sasuke eat quickly.

XXX

Dinner went by fast, really fast for Naruto. Now Sasuke was upstairs taking a shower, soon to go to bed. But Naruto wasn't fooled by how Sasuke was acting, he knew that the raven still held anger and hate for him, but for some reason, today he didn't have as much hate, or anger. It was puzzling, Naruto would have to talk to Kakashi when he stopped by. Sot he fox was staring up at the ceiling, waiting for Kakashi to stop by so they could talk about some things. Kyuubi chuckled deeply inside Naruto again, watching his kit.

"_Really? You had the perfect chance and you let it slip by. I'm not going to tolerate this for another season, Kit." _Kyuubi growled at him, a slight chuckle behind it.

_Leave me alone, Kyuubi. I'm not going to do anything to Sasuke._

"_A little late for that..."_

_OK, besides that kissing incident._

"_Incident?"_

_Shut up._ Naruto opened his eyes as he heard Kakashi enter the house.

"Hey, Naruto," Kakashi said, sitting in his claimed chair. Naruto told him that Sasuke never sat in it, even gave Naruto some looks when he tried to. Seems he's seeing it as 'Kakashi's spot.'

"Hey, Kakashi."

"I heard that you gave Tsunade hell today," Kakashi sighed, looking at Naruto.

"It could have been worse, plus she deserved it. I got Sasuke a new collar, one that won't shock him at every possible second. Did you get the pass for the medicine?"

"Sadly no. She says we still have to use it, but she will make us drop the lunch and dinner one, replace it with one that won't cause him to sleep," Kakashi answered, looking at Naruto, the boy had his eyes closed again.

"Why didn't they tell me? Let me know?"

"I wonder the same thing, they could have avoided all this if they just had told us and let him out of that prison sooner, but they didn't."

Naruto 'mhmed' then began to almost sleep, more like dozing in and out. Kakashi smiled at him.

"You need to go to bed too, I'll stay up for a bit longer in case Sasuke needs anything," Kakashi suggested, seeing Naruto nod and stand up.

"Yeah, oh, those movies on the table, Sasuke wanted you to return them, and to get some books and mangas. No romances or comedies, he said."

"Got it," Kakashi replied. "Good night, Naruto."

"Night." Naruto headed up the stairs slowly, not noticing Sasuke's door was slightly ajar. As soon as Naruto locked his room door and flopped down on the bed he was out for the night, already sleeping soundly.

Sasuke gently shut his door so he wouldn't alert Kakashi. He heard everything they said, hopefully without them noticing. They talked like they cared about him, but he couldn't let that get to him. But why talk like it if they believed he wasn't listening? It was puzzling, either way, Sasuke was tired himself, he wanted to sleep and put the day behind him. He didn't want to wake up the next day, he just wanted to sleep as late as his body felt like it, instead of waking up. He already wrote his journal entry for that day while he was listening to Kakashi and Naruto talk, so that task was done. He went over to his bed after ridding himself of his shirt and jeans, putting on some of his declared night-shorts, comfortable shorts that were right below his knees. He shut off the lights then went under the covers and curled up, pulling them to his chin. His eyes adjusted to the darkness around him and he felt the air conditioner cut on, also hearing his door open.

"Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, hearing a grunt in response. "I set the air down to 69, to make it colder. That is what you suggested in your last entry, right?" Sasuke moved a little so he saw Kakashi out of the corner of his eye, and gave a small nod.

"Yes, thanks."

"No problem, good night, Sasuke," Kakashi said softly, closing the door then. Sasuke settled back down and sighed deeply, closing his eyes and drifting off into a peaceful long sleep.

XXX

Sabbia: So, I skipped a few chapters but the basis is: A week has passed since the last chapter. No more electrical shocks except a few close calls. Sasuke is beginning to grow slightly closer to Kakashi and Naruto. The only reason for this chapter is to clear some things up that I kept saying would have been explained in later chapters, but here it is~!

Sasuke: So leave feedback, but make sure it is not rude, angry, flaming, calling this story shit, hating on the author or anything else.

Naruto: Basically make it actually helpful so Sabbia can further her writing skills and write better and make it more enjoyable for you to read.

Kakashi: Basically don't be rude or nasty with your feedback, help is appreciated, but at least don't curse, or flame this story.

Sabbia: OK! R&R people! Hope you like this one!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"Talking"

_Thinking_

XXX

Kakashi was preparing breakfast that morning, given the fact Naruto was granted some freedom that day to go out and exercise, even go on simple mission that would only take him a few hours. So the white haired man was left to care for Sasuke. As he was cooking the food, he dropped some of the medicine into the food and began to add more ingredients. Sasuke would fall asleep a few minutes after breakfast like he did everyday. The older man sighed, he had already eaten that day when he woke up in the comfort of his own home, then again being able to get to know Sasuke would only help to further their relationship in the 'father-son' aspect.

He looked behind him as Sasuke came into the kitchen, sniffing about curiously.

"Where's Naruto?" He asked, seeing a smile come to Kakashi's face, or, his eyes showed he was smiling. With that mask of his you had to watch his eyes.

"Taking a mission, I was left here to care for you, that OK?" Kakashi smiled and placed Sasuke's food on the table, the raven sat down quickly and began eating as soon as Kakashi backed away from the food. The white-haired man smiled, looking at the ceiling when he heard some thunder rumbling.

"Seems that hurricane hasn't disappeared yet...we might be seeing some more storms," Kakashi mumbled, cleaning up after he finished cooking.

It didn't take long for Sasuke to finish eating and retreat to the couch once the medicine kicked in, curling up into a small ball as he drifted into sleep. Kakashi smiled when he checked on Sasuke and got out a blanket and draped it over him, Sasuke jumping awake and looking at Kakashi with sleepy eyes, but soon drifting back to sleep. Kakashi couldn't help but smile at Sasuke, feeling a sense of fatherly pride wash over him. Maybe trying to get Sasuke to see him as a father was working both ways, Kakashi began to see Sasuke as his son.

Either way, the thunder that was rumbling in the sky and the sudden flashes of lightning made Kakashi certain they would be seeing a bad storm, especially when it began to rain hard. He hoped Naruto would show up before it started to get worse. For the time being he would read, sitting down in his chair and taking out his favorite book. Kakashi closed his book after an hour or two, hearing hail beginning to hit the house as the lights went out, Sasuke jumped at the loud zapping noise when the lights shut off, now fully awake.

"Calm down, Sasuke, it's OK. The backup generator should kick in any minute," as Kakashi said the words, the lights flickered back on quickly, the masked man smiling at Sasuke. "See?"

"Hey! Sasuke! Kakashi!" Naruto said happily, hurrying into the house, smiling at them as he shut the door, slightly bruised from the hail and soaking wet from the rain. "Sorry I'm late...got caught in the storm on the way home."

"Hello, Naruto, welcome back. Go change, will you?" Kakashi said, looking back down at his book. Sasuke watched as Naruto walked upstairs to his room, glancing at Kakashi before retreating himself to watch the storm from the glass back door. Naruto came back downstairs, looking for Sasuke, having Kakashi point him to the back door. The blond fox peeked around the corner, seeing Sasuke leaning against the wall, sitting on the floor with his knees pulled up to his chest as he rested his chin on crossed arms as he watched the storm.

"Hey, Sasuke, can I watch the storm with you?" Naruto asked, smiling at Sasuke when the dark eyes landed on him, the raven giving a small nod.

Naruto sat beside Sasuke, smiling at him again. Sasuke was ignoring Naruto again, watching as the rain fell and lightning struck various areas in the woods behind the house.

"Sasuke, can we talk for a bit?" Naruto asked, looking at the storm, hoping Sasuke would say yes.

"I don't have a choice, do I?" Sasuke asked back, looking at Naruto from the corner of his eye as he straightened his legs, folding his arms.

"You have a choice," Naruto chuckled. "Well, can we talk? Just for a bit?" Naruto looked at Sasuke, smiling happily at him.

"...I guess," Sasuke mumbled, looking back at the storm as thunder roared in the sky.

"How have you been lately?" Naruto asked, looking Sasuke over before watching the rain.

"Fine..."

"Do you want anything? Anything special I can get you after the storm?"

"No, nothing. I'm fine," Sasuke sighed, closing his eyes as he leaned his head back against the wall, not feeling very well.

"Are you OK? You don't look very well," Naruto asked, sitting up on his knees. "Mind if I check your temperature?" Sasuke shook his head, flinching a little when Naruto touched his forehead. "Kakashi!" Naruto called, taking his hand away from Sasuke's forehead, waiting a little impatiently until Kakashi popped up.

"What is it, Naruto?"

"Sasuke, he's running a fever, what should we do?" Naruto moved a little when Kakashi knelled beside him, gently placing a hand against Sasuke's forehead, feeling Sasuke flinch away.

"He is...come on, Sasuke, let's get you in some thinner clothes and in bed," Kakashi sighed, hearing the hiss come from Sasuke.

"I'm fine."

Sasuke glared at them as they tried to force him upstairs and into his room, telling him to change into some lighter clothes. He glared at the door, but did as they told him, changing into some of the shorts he slept in and getting rid of the shirt. He laid down without telling Kakashi that he was done, just wanting to sleep. It didn't take long for Kakashi to come into his room with Naruto behind him, felling Sasuke's forehead again.

"Yeah, you're defiantly running a fever...the storm is still pretty bad, but I'm going to go find some place open to get some medicine. Naruto, take care of him. If his condition gets to the point where it's endangering his life, drop the barrier and take him to the hospital," Kakashi said before he left quickly, the front door closing just a few seconds later. Naruto smiled at Sasuke and pulled the blankets on him, making sure Sasuke was completely covered before he spoke.

"Do you want some water, Sasuke?"

"I want you to leave me alone and let me sleep," Sasuke hissed at Naruto, rolling over onto his side, his back facing Naruto. The blond's eyes ran over Sasuke's back lovingly, the smile still there. Naruto left the room as quietly as he could, leaving the door only open by a crack, going down stairs to get some water for Sasuke. Naruto had to shake his head, getting the thoughts of Sasuke being shirtless out of his mind.

But for now, Sasuke was sick and needed attention, not to much attention, but just enough attention so he could get better. Naruto got a glass of cold water and went back up stairs, placing it on the bedside table before going back downstairs. Knowing Sasuke, he wouldn't want Naruto in his room. Of course, that wouldn't stop Naruto from checking on Sasuke every 5 minutes or so.

Sasuke settled down and fell asleep pretty quickly, groaning a little in his sleep when he begun dreaming. It wasn't pleasant dreams, oh no, they were nightmares. They started out OK, not to bad, but they slowly began to get worse. He whined as he curled up into a small ball, trying to comfort himself as the dreams steadily began to get more horrible. Finally Sasuke couldn't take the dreams anymore, gripping the sheets as he screamed in his sleep, sitting up quickly as he woke up, panting, his eyes wide. It didn't take long for Naruto to be at Sasuke's side, hugging the raven close without thinking about Sasuke's personal space.

"Sasuke! Are you OK?" Naruto asked, holding Sasuke close as he shushed him, feeling Sasuke clinging to him as he regained his senses.

"N-nightmare..." Sasuke mumbled quietly into Naruto's shirt, enjoying the warmth the fox was offering. He forgot about wanting to be away from physical contact, he wanted to feel warmth and comfort, just this once.

"It's OK, it's OK, really, just relax, you'll be fine," Naruto softly said, running his fingers through Sasuke's hair. "I'm here, you're OK." Sasuke shivered a little, not from being cold, just from the memory of his dream. He moved closer to Naruto, wanting more of the warmth.

Naruto sighed deeply as Sasuke finally fell back to sleep, laying the raven down and covering him with the blankets. This time he wouldn't leave Sasuke alone, unless he just had to. The blue eyes studied Sasuke's peaceful, sleeping face, making a smile come to Naruto's lips. Most likely if he even mentioned this little moment they just had to Kakashi, Sasuke would revert back to his condition before. At least he wasn't being as heartless as usual, maybe Naruto could get Sasuke to open up a little more with some love and care while he was sick.

A loud roar of thunder shook the house as the wind howled, the door downstairs opening then closing quickly. It wasn't long until Kakashi came back up stairs with a small vile of medicine, and a needle.

"Why the needle?" Naruto asked, having Kakashi sigh, still soaking wet.

"Lady Tsunade gave it to me, saying it will cause his fever to go down and...make him answer any and all questions for exactly 3 minutes. I'm going to inject him, and you can ask the questions," Kakashi sighed. "You need to, I need to change clothes and get lunch ready."

Naruto watched with a sad face as Kakashi slowly woke up Sasuke, quickly asking a question before the raven came to.

"Will he remember?"

"No, he won't...Sasuke? Sasuke, wake up for a minute, I have some medicine for you," Kakashi gently cooed, making Sasuke wake up as he got the arm ready for the injection. Sasuke wasn't fully awake until he felt Kakashi rubbing his arm with alcohol.

"What? What are you doing?" He asked, still drowsy. Kakashi smiled at him and picked up the needle.

"I have some medicine for you, to help your fever, it'll just hurt a little bit," Kakashi said, pushing the needle in, surprised Sasuke didn't fight him, but watched carefully as Kakashi pushed the needle in and injected the liquid.

"Alright, Naruto, I'm going to go change and prepare lunch," Kakashi sighed, leaving the room, shutting the door behind him.

Naruto watched Sasuke, the black eyes clouding over after a few minutes as the breathing evened out. Sasuke rolled over a little so he was halfway on his side, his eyes closing as he got more comfortable.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked experimentally, he needed to ask questions now, but what did he want to know? Sasuke would answer anything, anything personal to the raven, anything that not even torture could force out of him.

"Sasuke," Naruto tried again, swallowing before he continued. "Sasuke, I...I want to know, did you miss me when you were gone?" Naruto watched as Sasuke rolled fully onto his back and looked at him with the clouded black eyes.

"Mm, I missed everyone...felt alone," Sasuke replied, yawning with sleep.

"Have you, ever wanted to come back?"

"Wanted to, but didn't. I wanted to be free, but not alone."

"Do you hate me? Or Kakashi?"

"No, I don't hate either of you...strongly dislike..."

"Do...do you like it when I hug you?"

"...Yes, but I like it a lot more when you ask," Sasuke yawned, rolling over again, curling into the sheets. Naruto knew he should have asked other things, but he wanted to know one more thing about Sasuke before the medicine wore off.

"Sasuke, do you...I mean, would you love me?" Naruto swallowed and waited, seeing Sasuke's eyes open again, staring off as in thought.

"Maybe, if you play your cards right..." Sasuke mumbled, falling asleep as Naruto gave a deep sigh, leaning back into his chair as the thunder roared through the sky and the rain fell even harder, the hail returning.

"I hope I do," Naruto said to himself, smiling at the thought of being able to hug Sasuke close to him anytime he wanted. Lightning lit up the room a few seconds after Naruto shut off the light, grabbing some extra pillows and blankets and making a small make-shift bed on the floor, curling up so he could sleep there, and be ready in case Sasuke had another nightmare. He heard small whimpers and Sasuke tossing and turning, sometimes mumbling "to hot". Whenever that came up, Naruto got up and turned the air down, stripping away a layer of blankets Sasuke surrounded himself in. Then the next complaint was to cold, so Naruto put the blankets back on without turning down the air.

Only if Sasuke knew how much attention he was getting while he was sleeping, he would be hiding in his closet again. Kakashi actually discovered Sasuke made a sort of nest in his closet for when he would hide, some pillows and blankets there for him to curl up in and sleep while he hid away from Naruto and Kakashi. Naruto and Kakashi wouldn't put it past Sasuke to store water and cans of food in there for when he wanted to hide for a long time. Naruto smiled at Sasuke, touching the pale cheek, drawing his hand back quickly when Sasuke mumbled and moved a little, ducking his heads under the covers to avoid being touched again.

Naruto sighed and laid down again once Sasuke settled down, hoping to catch some sleep. He heard Kyuubi purring in his sleep, making Naruto jealous that the demon could sleep whenever he wanted. The blond's eyes slipped closed as he sighed again, this time deeper as he fell into a light slumber, waiting for the smallest sound from Sasuke, the smallest noise to let him know the raven needed something. But nothing came, Sasuke was silent for the rest of the stormy night, letting Naruto sleep peacefully.

The morning was just as stormy as the night, the clouds black with rain and wind beating against the home. So far Kakashi has had to check on the backup generator several times to make sure it would keep running, and had to make several trips outside the safety of the home for more medicine for Sasuke, this time actual medicine for a fever. Naruto on the other hand was making some hot soup for Sasuke, mixing in the required medicine they needed to put in during the morning hours for him to sleep. He gave a heavy sigh as he finished mixing in the medicine and took it to Sasuke, setting it down on the coffee table in the living room, smiling at the sick raven.

"Alright, Sasuke, here's some soup, it should make you feel better," Naruto said, sitting in his recliner, watching with happy eyes as Sasuke scooted onto the floor to sit on his knees, sniffing the aroma of the soup before taking a timid bite, watching Naruto out of the corner of his skeptically. Sasuke still didn't trust Naruto or Kakashi, but he was happy to eat anything, no matter what it was. He refused to be starved again.

Naruto yawned as Sasuke finished the soup, crawling back onto the couch and curling up in a blanket, falling asleep almost immediately. Thunder cracked in the sky again, making Naruto jump from his drowsiness, and made Sasuke "shut up" to the noise, then settled back down. It was cute in way, to Naruto.

"I might get some food myself..." Naruto mumbled, getting up and going to the kitchen to make some ramen, he had a good 3 hours before Sasuke woke up, so he had some time to waste.

Once Naruto was half way through his ramen, the door opened and closed again, Kakashi walking into the kitchen, in a soaking wet trench coat. He placed a small bag beside Naruto and took off the coat, his clothes underneath being bone dry, but his hair and mask.

"Got some medicine and some fresh food for him, fresh cut chicken and beef," Kakashi said as he went into the laundry room, putting his coat in the wash and changed his mask, making sure Naruto wasn't where he could see.

"Oh, great, thanks, Kakashi," Naruto said, placing his dirty ramen bowl in the sink, putting the meat on the stove. "Can you make dinner? I made him breakfast."

"Where's my breakfast?"

"In the fridge," Naruto chuckled, seeing Kakashi poke his nose in the fridge to take out some cold eggs and bacon.

"Thanks, Naruto, I'll make dinner, has he done anything interesting while I've been gone?" Kakashi asked, turning his back to take a bite of eggs before placing his mask back and looking at Naruto.

"He said shut up to some thunder a while ago," Naruto chuckled again.

"Cute," Kakashi said, smiling a little as he turned his back again.

"When can I see your face?" Naruto asked, tempted to peek.

"Tell you what, when Sasuke can hug Sakura, I mean a real hug, not one that he isn't hugging back without wanting to, then I will show you my face."

"Jerk," Naruto said playfully, going back into the living room to check on Sasuke. Of course he was fine, but still, that didn't stop Naruto from worrying about him at all.

Sasuke stirred in his sleep a little, coming out of it just enough to sniff the air.

"I smell chicken and beef," he mumbled quietly.

"Yeah, that's our dinner tonight," Naruto said back gently, smiling when Sasuke just went back into a light slumber, bound to wake up any minute.

XXX

Sabbia: Another chapter! Done!

Sasuke: Great, what's next?

Sabbia: I have no idea!

Kakashi: R&R everyone.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"Talking"

_Thinking_

XXX

The day started out like any other. Everything was calm, they ate breakfast, Kakashi came in and pestered Sasuke about his thoughts on _Make-out Paradise _(loaning the first book to Sasuke and Naruto). Of course Sasuke said it was OK, but not his favorite reading-material. Naruto ate ramen and agreed with Kakashi it was great, but the fox refused to mention that Jiriya left him in charge of the series a few months before the old man died. Of course...Naruto refused to do 'research' since girls never really did anything for him.

Sasuke was becoming more open to them both, actually being sarcastic with them again and partaking in their conversations. But once it came time for his movies, everyone would shut up and let him enjoy himself while staring at the bloody movie. Lunch was like any other, Sasuke actually talking while they ate, having random discussions. The past three weeks have been great to get him to open up. Only one thing was missing, and that nice weather. The large storm was gone, but it left behind a small string of tiny ones, not very big, but enough to keep Sasuke from going outside. Whenever it would clear up, the grass in the backyard would be flooded, and the raven didn't want to get his feet wet.

But currently, Kakashi and Naruto were doing some work behind Sasuke's back. Their secrete plan: to get him a pet. Kakashi wanted to get him a dog, just to see Sasuke's face at a little, barking puppy. Naruto on the other hand, was afraid Sasuke would take it into the backyard, and punt it a mile away. Then want to do it again just for the hell of it and probably laugh his head off while he did so. At any rate, they settled on getting him a cat. So Kakashi was researching different cat breeds, wanting to get the perfect one for Sasuke. Fluffy, but not to fluffy, a big cat, maybe an exotic breed; it needed a long tail and ears, smoldering eyes, and other things that would be perfect. The only problem: The ones Kakashi was thinking about were as expensive as hell.

Either way, it was a present to Sasuke for getting along with everyone. They wanted it to be a kitten though, so Sasuke could enjoy having a new spark of life around. The day was going along great, Kakashi was out looking for the owner of the cats he had chosen, seeing an add for new born kittens. While Naruto and Sasuke were left at home to enjoy yet another stormy evening. Everything was great, that was, almost.

Sasuke was the first to notice something odd. After living in that house for close to a month, he learned every sound, knew every nook and cranny, and even knew the best hiding places when he didn't want to talk to anyone. He sat up quickly, but kept the movie playing. Naruto glanced at him with a worried look, keeping quite when Sasuke held up a hand for the fox to keep quite.

Almost like a big cat, Sasuke got up off the couch with deadly silence and walked across the floor, his bare feet not making a single sound. He didn't loose all his skills while locked up, it seemed. Sasuke went to the front door, Naruto still watching him, now worried himself. It wasn't Kakashi, they were supposed to give it to Sasuke tomorrow, it was someone else. The blond fox stood up now and got ready, whoever they were, they were not welcome. Then it happened.

Naruto heard the click, that small click of the chakra collar shutting off and Sasuke's eyes widen as his power returned. But there was little time to think, the door flew open, knocking Sasuke back as someone came in with a mask on. The raven let out a deep growl, electricity forming around his fingers and hands as it crackled in anger. He shot up and charged, the attacker not expecting it to have some chakra involved in the hit. Naruto was already on another assaulter, knocking them out of the house. Both of the odd men were wearing mask, having weapons and rope with them. But Naruto didn't want to kill them, not yet.

"What do you want!?" He yelled at the man he pinned down, his eyes red as his nails were longer like his teeth. The man looked at Naruto from behind the mask, knowing he needed to answer, and fast.

"W-we were hired. People, outside this village, want him captured and brought to them alive. Big rewards involved."

"Is there anyone else like you looking for him? Who are these people?" Naruto growled, hearing a pained scream from the other intruder.

"We don't know! They paid us under the table. A-and I don't think so, they are the only ones!" The man was released and kicked out of the barrier as the other intruder was slung out of the house, Sasuke not going pass the threshold in fear of getting wet from the grass. Naruto glared at the two men as they scampered off, not taking long for Anbu to arrest them before they got out of sight.

Naruto went back into the home, seeing a few scratches on Sasuke, nothing to serious. But either way, Naruto had Sasuke sit on the couch as the collar began to restrict Sasuke chakra fast enough he wouldn't be able to escape. The raven tensed, but only a little, when Naruto touched his cheek gently, a soft smile on the tan face.

"It hurt?" Naruto asked, getting up to grab some medical supplies they kept in the kitchen. Sasuke shook his head when Naruto came back.

"No, just a little tender," he said, watching as Naruto poured some alcohol on a small cloth, pressing it to the cut on Sasuke's cheek. It was small, barely any blood, but Naruto wasn't going to take a chance. The blue eyes were soft as Naruto finished patting all the scratches with the cloth and placed a small bandage on the pale cheek. Sasuke watched Naruto a bit longer before getting up and rewinding the movie to what he last remembered. Naruto smiled and sat back in his chair, looking at the door to make sure it was locked and dead-bolted before really relaxing. This time, Sasuke didn't recoil as much, he let Naruto touch him. Just a little though. Either way, Sasuke was getting calmer and more trusting.

They sat there for a while until the movie rolled it's credits. Sasuke was the first one to break the silence, which was quite shocking to, Sasuke never started the conversations very often.

"Naruto, what did those people want?" he asked, looking at the blond fox, the black eyes looking tired and glazed over in what appeared to be a deep need to want to go to sleep. "Did the other one tell you anything?"

"No," Naruto said, then bit his lip, chewing it a little before sighing. "Actually...yeah. But, if you don't mind, I want to talk to Kakashi first before letting you know...if that's OK?" Naruto looked at Sasuke with worried, wide blue eyes. Only to see a very small smile come to Sasuke's face.

"I understand, I can wait. I don't really care, just wanted to know. What time is it?"

"Around 9 o'clock...tired? Want me to make some supper so you can go to bed?"

"No," Sasuke mumbled, standing up slowly as he stretched, not realizing Naruto was staring at the part of his stomach being revealed by his rising shirt. Naruto averted his eyes back to Sasuke's face one the raven put his arms down, hiding the pale stomach. Sasuke walked over to the bottom of the stairs and looked at Naruto. "I'm just going to go to bed, tell Kakashi I said good night."

Sasuke went upstairs fairly quickly for someone that was tired. After the sudden surge of his power then having it repressed just as fast was tiring. But after being able to taste his power again, being able to actually _fight_ again was thrilling. Sadly, he knew that being able to fight would never happen again. His chakra would be repressed for as long as he lived, it was something he was coming to accept and get used to.

The raven collapsed on his bed after getting into his night clothes and shutting off the lights after turning on the air and shutting his door. His black obsidian eyes staring into the darkness as he gave a deep, sad sigh, closing his eyes, a deep throbbing in his heart. The thought of not being free again, being stuck in this damn house and never being able to do things was heart breaking. Sasuke hugged his pillow, it had become his friend on nights when he began to think to much about his fate of boredom.

After a while, Sasuke's breathing evened out as he fully relaxed, moving a little to get more comfortable in his sleep. The clouds decided it was once again time to shower the village in a soft, quite rain. It hit against the windows so gently it lulled Sasuke into an even deeper sleep, even making Naruto drowsy to the point where he had to go to sleep himself and not wait up for Kakashi.

Later on that night, Kakashi came in at around 2 o'clock in the morning, soaked in rain, but he was keeping something covered. As soon as he sat down he put the box down and opened it, letting the small kitten crawl out and wander around on the couch for a while. Sasuke would be so happy when he woke up. A smile came from under Kakashi's mask as he pet the little kitten as it meowed up at him. Now he needed to sleep.

XXX

When the morning came, it was cloudy like usual, the soft rain still going with a gentle thunder. Knowing the storm would get worse, Sasuke just wanted to go back to sleep, but forced himself to get up, touching the collar and moving it a little before getting dressed. It was comfortable, the collar, but still, it was a reminder that he was a captive, a pet of a sort. At any rate he headed down stairs to go see what was for breakfast, smelling the food as soon as he got close to his door. His stomach growled loudly as he walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, stopping short and staring at a black ball of fur on the floor eating fresh food out of a food bowl. Naruto smiled at Sasuke as he looked at the blond, then at Kakashi, then back at the small kitten that looked up at the raven, giving the most adorable meow.

It didn't take long for Sasuke to forget about food and be sitting on the floor with the kitten, petting and playing with it as it pawed at his fingers, purring loudly, the long, fluffy black tail swishing.

"He or she?" Sasuke asked as the kitten latched onto his finger with her little claws and teeth, not drawing any blood due to the weakness of her little jaws.

"She," Kakashi said, a bright smile under the dark mask. "She's a Main Coon. They are loving, loyal, gentle, and very smart cats." Kakashi smiled as the pure black kitten crawled into Sasuke's lap, meowing up at him constantly while placing a little paw on his chest while pawing up at his face playfully, still meowing.

"She was the loudest one of the litter," Kakashi added with a small chuckle, keeping the price hidden. To say in short, he wouldn't be able to buy his favorite books for a while, a long while.

"Does she have a name?" Sasuke asked, smiling at the kitten as he picked her up and let her paw at his face. Her fur was so soft. She wasn't solid black, no, there was a shite spot on her forehead. It looked sort of like a clover or flower. Her eyes were different colors, one being bright ice blue and another being a smoldering amber. Her whiskers were pure white and long already, even as a kitten.

"No, we wanted you to name her," Kakashi said, looking at Naruto. The blond fox was watching Naruto with happy, loving eyes, a hint of sadness deep in the blue cascade. Kakashi would talk to him later about it, for now, Sasuke needed to get use to the cat. Sasuke thought about it as he put the kitten down, watching as she ran across the floor just to topple over and get right back up, meowing at Kakashi and Naruto cutely.

"Dusk, I'll call her Dusk," Sasuke mumbled as he watched her walk awkwardly back over to him, her tail raised high as she was meowing up a storm. A deep chuckle came from Sasuke as thunder boomed in the sky and she jumped into his lap, her fur standing on end.

Kakashi and Naruto were sitting in the kitchen as Sasuke was in the living room, already passed out after having his breakfast with the mixed drugs. Dusk was pawing at Sasuke's face and meowing at him, crawling all over the raven in an attempt to wake him up so they could play. But finally after no avail, she settled down with sleeping on his stomach and curled into a ball. Naruto peeked into the living room to make sure Sasuke was asleep before going back into the kitchen, facing Kakashi.

"Naruto, you looked sad during breakfast, what's wrong?" Kakashi asked him as he kept his eyes on Naruto's.

"It's just...Sasuke can't stay here forever. He needs to get out and be free at some point," Naruto mumbled loud enough for Kakashi to hear him. "But given everything he's done, I don't think they will ever believe he's calm enough to be back in society."

"Naruto, Sasuke is doing so much better. Almost to the point where I'm feeling comfortable actually telling Tsunade about his report. She believes that soon, in the next month or so, we can let Sasuke go out into the village again," Kakashi stopped as he thought about what to say next. "She has been telling the villagers about Sasuke, getting them excited to see him again. But also warning them not to antagonize him. He might be calm with us, but near a lot of people might be different."

"I know," Naruto sighed, standing up from his seat to look back at the back of the couch. "But still. Maybe we can have a small party later on, once we talk to him about it. Invite a few people he still likes. Get him used to more people again."

Kakashi nodded and patted Naruto's shoulder. "Well, I'm going to go find some cat food and cat treats. The cat is now Sasuke's responsibility. It'll give him a sense of he's doing something good for something that loves him."

Sasuke was still fast asleep, but yawned as he rolled over, making Dusk fall off his stomach only to crawl onto his side and curl up there, now she was sleepy with him. Naruto smiled as he watched, then went upstairs to sleep himself. The whole time Sasuke had been here, the rain had been making them all drowsy.

XXX

Sabbia: I AM NOT DEAD! YAY!

Sasuke: Sorry, she lost any and all inspiration to wright lately.

Naruto: But she's back to it now!

Sabbia: Hopefully.

Kakashi: R&R people!

Dusk: Meow!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"Talking"

_Thinking_

XXX

Indeed, the talk Kakashi had with Naruto about the men that came and attacked was troubling. Tsunade had been telling the older ninja about many letters and ambassadors that came to try and make a deal about buying the Uchiha from the Leaf Village. And no matter how many times Tsunade responded "He's a person, not property," they just kept coming back with higher offers. She even went so far as to kick some of the ambassadors out of the village.

The only village, it seemed, that didn't want to take Sasuke was the Sand. Gaara had warned Tsunade that the elders of his village were pestering him to send a very high offer for Sasuke. Of course he refused, saying the same thing the Hokage did. Regardless, the Kazekage agreed to help Tsunade find out who was going so far as to try and capture Sasuke. But until then, Naruto and Kakashi had to get Sasuke to agree to a party...which was not going over so well.

"And I said hell no," hissed Sasuke, his glare set on Kakashi and Naruto, chuckling and smiling down at Dusk as she playfully chewed on her mouse toy in his lap. She stuck by the raven like glue to paper.

"Come on, Sasuke," Naruto begged, "it'll be fun! Just the people you like! I promise you'll have fun. Plus, this will go far in showing Tsunade that your calmer."

"What's the point of that? I'm never going to get out of this house," Sasuke growled at them, petting Dusk's well-groomed fur.

Kiba's sister came in earlier that day to check up on the kitten. She didn't want to separate the little cat from Sasuke in fear it would not only hurt Sasuke, but also the kitten to be separated from it's new friend. At any rate, she gave the kitten it's yearly shots and gave it a check up, then told and showed Sasuke how to care for the small cat. What amounts to feed her and when, how to get her to go in a litter box, how to groom her fur, what type of playing he should do and behavior training, the works. Basically, Sasuke had taken her instructions to heart and began to do everything she instructed every day, not missing a detail. So, Dusk was well groomed, her teeth cleansed with the special toy Kiba's sister gave the little kitten, and now playing with the mouse toy so she would know not to bite people.

Kakashi sighed and rubbed the back of his head and looked at Sasuke.

"Sasuke, tell us a list of people you like, and I'll plan the party, OK?"

"Why?" Sasuke spat at him, recoiling slightly when Kakashi gave a stern glare, but the white-haired man's voice was gentle yet firm, like the father figure Sasuke was missing most of his whole life.

"Because I said so. Now, do you want me to take Dusk away and let her live with Sakura for a while? Have her putting pink bows in the cat's fur?"

"No..."

"Good, then you know what to do. I'll make lunch," Kakashi said finally, getting up and going to the kitchen to make some food for them all. Naruto smiled at Sasuke and gave a small laugh.

"You'll have fun, I promise."

"Doubt it," Sasuke sighed, petting Dusk as the small kitten meowed up at him and purred, making a small smile come to the raven's face. Naruto watched Sasuke as the raven watched the kitten with happy eyes. So far, the cat has done a lot in keeping Sasuke occupied. Tsunade even said to drop the medicine in the morning so Sasuke could care for the kitten. Sasuke on the other hand, adored the small cat, Dusk was his everything currently. Of course, Naruto strongly wished he could ay least kiss the raven's cheek, show Sasuke his affection. Then again, maybe Naruto could? Quickly and softly? Just when Sasuke was occupied with the cat and Kakashi was gone?

The weather had been clearing up since the last day, making Sasuke more willing to go outside, but not entirely. The only reason he was outside currently was that Dusk needed to get some exercise, and she was loving being outside rolling in the grass. Sasuke even forced Kakashi to make the fence more secure for little Dusk so she could play without Sasuke worrying over her escaping. Naruto was out there with him, sitting on the stairs to the porch as they watched Dusk chase small bugs around in the slightly wet grass. Naruto glanced over to Sasuke quickly before looking back at Dusk, Kakashi was in the kitchen preparing the dinner for the party, it was only a few hours to dusk and Sasuke had such few people he could get along with, they all agreed for Naruto's sake.

"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto began very gently, not letting his voice be to loud or to soft.

" Hm?" Sasuke mumbled back, his eyes set on Dusk happily.

"Can I try something? If you don't like it, feel free to hit me," Naruto said, swallowing the large lump in his throat.

"Uh...sure?" Sasuke asked himself, looking at Naruto with a curious look, Dusk ran over to Sasuke and jumped into his lap, her wet paws leaving prints on his pants. Sasuke pet the small kitten, smiling down at her until he felt something touch his chin. Naruto pressed his lips to Sasuke's cheek softly, only touching the pale chin to let the raven know he was there. Sasuke stiffened, staring wide-eyed straight forward, a light blush trying to force its way to his cheeks.

Naruto quickly moved away from Sasuke and watched Sasuke's reaction worriedly.

"You OK?" asked Naruto, staring at Sasuke's shocked face, seeing the light blush.

"Y-yeah, fine," Sasuke responded, looking back down at Dusk and petting her. Naruto gave a small smile and stood up.

"We better go clean her up before everyone arrives."

As Sasuke finished making sure Dusk's fluffy fur was groomed to near perfection and beautiful fluffiness with a simmering shine to it's black luster, was he truly satisfied. He smiled happily, putting the brush down on the table, petting the small kitten as she meowed up at him. Of course, Sasuke was very disgruntled with Naruto and Kakashi. Not only did he not want the party but he also didn't want to be wearing fresh clothes. They weren't fancy, but they weren't Sasuke's style.

The doorbell rang making Sasuke jump a little, making Dusk jump up and her fur bristle in shock. The raven looked to Kakashi's reassuring smile as the older man opened the door, smiling at the guest. Sakura came, of course, and Sasuke couldn't help but glare at her quickly before looking away innocently. Gaara came as a favor for Tsunade, which Sasuke didn't mind much. Then finally Neji, Kiba, and Shikamaru came. Why Kiba was there was a mystery to Sasuke, but Kakashi reassured him that there would be no dog and no dog smell.

Sasuke was already uncomfortable, keeping close to Dusk the whole time, his main comfort. What was even more unsettling was when Gaara came over, sitting by him and petting Dusk.

"She's a very beautiful cat," Gaara said, smiling at Sasuke.

"Yeah, she is."

"Seems you've been taking good care of her...glad to have you back with us, Sasuke. How have you been?"

"Alright, you?"

"Busy," Gaara chuckled, noticing the small smile Sasuke gave him. It didn't take long for dinner to be over for Naruto and Kakashi, but for Sasuke it lasted for an eternity. Afterwords he had to talk with Shikamaru and Kiba, then Shikamaru beat him at a game of chess in just four moves. At the rematch Dusk jumped onto the game board and swatted Shikamaru's king away, purring at Sasuke as they laughed.

Finally at the end of the evening, Sasuke was left alone on the couch, Kakashi going home as well to prepare for a late night mission Tsunade assigned him. Naruto sat on the couch next to Sasuke as another movie played. The blue eyes looked at the black ones that were fixed on the screen, Dusk asleep on a pillow next to Sasuke. Sasuke was resting his head on his knuckles as he leaned his arm against the arm rest, making sure there was plenty of room for the pillow on the other chair before he moved it. Dusk yawned and went back to sleep after she was moved.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked experimentally, his heart skipping a beat when Sasuke looked at him.

"Hm? What is it?"

"Can I try something else?" Naruto voice was small as he looked at Sasuke with curious, worried eyes. Sasuke shrugged and continued to look at Naruto.

The blond fox leaned forward and pressed their lips together very softly, feeling Sasuke tense and take in a sudden breath. The black eyes widened as Naruto moved his lips very slowly against Sasuke's. Much to Naruto's surprise, Sasuke didn't fight back, he just stayed there, and at some point, actually leaned into the kiss, the black eyes slipping closed. Naruto moved away from Sasuke and swallowed hard, smiling timidly.

"Sorry..."

"I-It's fine," Sasuke stuttered, looking back at the screen with a passive look, a dark blush on his cheeks.

XXX

The morning was a sunny, bright one with only a few dark clouds in the sky. Sasuke was still asleep, Dusk right beside him on his bed, curled up on top of the blankets. They both didn't notice the door opening to Sasuke's room, Lady Tsunade looking at him before walking into the room. Naruto walked in after her and went over to Sasuke, shaking him gently.

"Sasuke? Sasuke Uchiha, wake up," he whispered softly, smiling when Sasuke groaned and opened his eyes, looking at Naruto groggily.

"What?" Sasuke mumbled, trying to go back to sleep.

"Tsunade wants to see you, come on, just sit up for a minute, please?"

Much to his dislike, Sasuke sat up, Dusk yawning as she gave Sasuke a why-are-you-waking-up look.

"Hello, Uchiha," Lady Tsunade said, smiling at Sasuke as she walked over to him, placing her hand on his forehead. "You seem to be doing well."

"Can I go back to sleep now?" Sasuke asked, his eyes still clouded over with the heavy sleep he was in.

"In a minute, I just need to do a quick check up, OK?" Sasuke just nodded as he let Tsunade check everything, to tired to argue. She laid him back down and pulled the blankets over him, leaving the room quickly after turning off the lights. It was late in the afternoon, but Sasuke was adjusting himself to Dusk's clock.

"He looks good, Naruto, healthy," Tsunade said as she sat down in Kakashi's chair, Naruto placing himself on the couch.

"That's good."

"And he's not as argumentative, that's even better," Tsunade chuckled. "Then again, he was very tired, I would like to see him at some other time when he's awake, see if that makes any difference."

"Right, sorry, Tsunade, I'm really tired to," Naruto chuckled, smiling at her.

"I'll come back any time tomorrow, whenever he's awake. Good-bye, Naruto."

"Good-bye, grandma."

XXX

Sabbia: Short chapter is short.

Naruto: R&R, people!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"Talking"

_Thinking_

XXX

Sasuke finished breakfast and was playing with Dusk after she had eaten, smiling as she chased the feather toy around. Then again, Naruto was stressed out, pacing around the whole living room. Lady Tsunade was to come that day, in only a few minutes to any second and see Sasuke. Naruto didn't tell the raven, he wanted to know how Sasuke would act with Tsunade randomly popping by. It didn't take long for a knock to come at the door, Sasuke looking up with Dusk.

"Hello, Sasuke," Tsunade said, smiling at him.

"Hokage," Sasuke replied, not as cheerful, but not disrespectful or hateful.

"How are you feeling?"

"Good," he said, picking Dusk up as he began to groom her, running one of the five brushes he had though her fur.

"You must really love that cat," Tsunade said, watching in amazement at how gentle Sasuke was with Dusk.

"Yeah, I do, she's adorable."

Naruto relaxed a little, Sasuke was actually not making his situation worse. The blond ninja gave a large smile as Tsunade smiled at him and gave an approving nod, apparently, Sasuke matched her expectations.

"Uchiha, I have a proposition for you," she said, a playful smile at her lips.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked, looking at her.

"I just have a question, is it true that you worked as an assassin and would kill anyone if told to do so?"

"Are we speaking theoretically, or should we start talking numbers?" Sasuke asked, seeing Tsunade chuckle.

"No, no, joking. Anyway, your progress has been great. I'm going to let you leave this house for today, but Naruto must stay with you at all times. And I'll start planing a vacation for you to go to the country side for a few weeks." She stood up and left, leaving Naruto and Sasuke there after shutting down the barrier. Sasuke stared outside the door and looked down at Dusk, he didn't want to leave her.

"It's OK, Sasuke," Kakashi said, walking in the house, "I'll watch after her. I have nothing else to do today."

"Alright, can you finish up her grooming? She likes to play afterwords and needs thirty minutes outside, then she needs to be bathed and groomed again then fed the right measurements of her food and..." Naruto quickly dragged Sasuke off before he could talk Kakashi's ears off with Dusk's schedule.

Sasuke looked around outside curiously, sniffing the air once he was outside the protective area where the boundary once was, looking around again. They began walking down the street, Sasuke getting some weird looks and hearing some mumbles but it didn't bother him at all. Instead, Sasuke seemed almost like Dusk, curiosity burning in his eyes as he tried to take in everything at once. It had been several years since he had been in the village, it all seemed to have changed over time, he was completely lost as to where he was. The only familiar thing to the raven was the Hokage Mansion and the faces carved in the rocks, that was it.

Naruto watched Sasuke with happy eyes as they walked, wanting to kiss the raven again, but he didn't want to push his luck. Naruto followed Sasuke around, letting the raven explore where ever he wanted to. People were getting less comfortable with Sasuke walking around, but Naruto kept them all at bay, he wanted Sasuke happy, even if it sacrificed the happiness of others around him at the moment. Sasuke finally wandered out onto the training field, looking at Naruto curiously.

"What?" Naruto asked, not having Sasuke gaze on him break or waver.

"Can we?"

"Can we what?" Naruto gulped, his mind misunderstanding Sasuke's question drastically.

"Spar?" Sasuke's question made Naruto's heart drop in realization that sex wasn't what the raven wanted.

"If you want to," Naruto said, smiling at Sasuke when the black eyes lit up. Sasuke took a stance, his heart pounding in excitement at the idea of being able to fight again. Naruto took a stance as well and studied Sasuke, his smile growing brighter.

The fight was a long one, pain coming from Naruto more than Sasuke. Even after all the time Sasuke spent without fighting, he still had it. Had all of it, Naruto didn't do himself any favors by not taking Sasuke seriously.

Naruto was able to land a punch into Sasuke stomach, only to feel a ridge hand to the side of his head. Both avoided using chakra, Sasuke because he couldn't, and Naruto because he didn't want to hurt Sasuke. Finally Naruto felt a kick to his side, Sasuke smiling at him when he dodged another punch. They fought for well over two hours, neither tiring out.

"What do you do all day? Work out?" Naruto panted , he didn't think Sasuke had that much energy.

"Maybe," Sasuke answered out, tired like Naruto.

Sasuke dodged another punch, but tripped backwards when Naruto forced him to lose his balance, but Sasuke wouldn't go down alone. He grabbed Naruto on instinct and pulled the fox down with him.

Their eyes grew wide as they stared at each other, Naruto on top of Sasuke, straddling him, their faces close. Sasuke was under him, his knees slightly bent, but one hand above his head, Naruto having his elbows on each side of Sasuke's head, staring at him.

They didn't break eyesight, but a very light blush forced its way to both of their cheeks. Naruto didn't move, he was frozen, but he swallowed hard, wanting to lean closer, but at the same time run away. Sasuke searched Naruto's eyes, wanting to retreat further in the ground. But surprise came to them both, even Naruto, when the fox leaned close enough to have their lips touch.

Naruto pressed their lips a little harder together, moving his lips slightly, hoping that Sasuke would respond in a positive manner. Sasuke did just that, he moved his lips against Naruto's, a little, but enough to make Naruto's heart flutter. They stayed like that for a few minutes, slowly kissing each other, Sasuke moving his lips a little more and actually leaning into it, his eyes closed. Naruto gave a small groan, adding more pressure and just a little tongue, feeling Sasuke respond back the same way.

After a while, they parted, looking into each others eyes, Naruto swallowing hard, his heart pounding in his chest, the blush on his cheeks darker. Naruto got off of Sasuke and helped him up, smiling at him, his heart fluttering when he saw Sasuke give a very small, quick smile back, before quickly walking away, Naruto on his heels.

"Where do you want to go now?" Naruto asked, seeing Sasuke looking around with a lost look.

"Home."

Naruto smiled and took Sasuke's hand gently leading him back home. Sasuke forced the light blush back down when they arrived back home. He looked back at the boundary line, then at Naruto, seeing the fox give a sigh.

"Kakashi and Tsunade will have to put it back up, in case some one tries to get into the home. After last time, they stepped up security around the whole village for you. No one gets in without a complete background check."

Sasuke gave a quick smile and walked back inside, immediately petting Dusk, taking her off of the sleeping Kakashi's lap while Naruto woke the older man. Kakashi yawned and got up, heading out to go tell Tsunade they needed to activate the barrier again. While he was gone, Sasuke started another movie, but it was soon ruined when Dusk jumped off of his lap for no apparent reason and hissed at the door. Naruto quickly stood up with Sasuke, the movie still rolling. It hadn't been long since Kakashi left, and they would have told Naruto and Sasuke if they were putting up the barrier. And to top it off: Dusk wouldn't be hissing if it wasn't Kakashi or Tsunade.

Naruto got by the door, not directly in front of it, in case someone kicked it open, but they were more cautious than usual. Since the barrier was down, Sasuke's collar wouldn't release his chakra. The blond fox's eyes began to bleed red as his hair began to spike, Kyuubi growling inside of him, he to had become protective over Sasuke, just like Naruto has.

Finally the door flew open, and the attackers were inside, Naruto already attacking one of them, Sasuke getting the other. What Naruto and Sasuke didn't expect, was a third person. The third man attacked Naruto, stunning him, then went after Sasuke, this one was obviously an experienced kidnapper. Sasuke was pinned to the floor by the third one, the knee digging into his back painfully. Naruto was being attacked and kept busy by the other two. The fox was getting mad, he needed to get back to Sasuke.

The third attacker finally got hit hard by Sasuke, without his chakra he wasn't as deadly, but Sasuke refused to be weak and to give in. It ultimately ended with Sasuke struggling to get free, but finally gave up, having a needle forced into his neck and some medicine injected. The attacker backed off and watched Sasuke roll over onto his hands and knees, trying to get back up, but had to collapse afterwords. He wasn't asleep, instead, he was still awake, just his energy was suppressed and a feeling of drowsiness came over him. Sasuke looked up to the masked face of his assaulter and gave a violent glare and growl, trying again to get up.

"It's better if you don't move, Mr. Uchiha. You'll preserve your energy better that way," the man said, his voice calm and collected. He looked up and at Naruto when the blond haired fox growled deeply, finally defeating the other two attackers, ready to attack the third one.

"What did you do to him?" Naruto growled out, his teeth sharper, his lips pulled back into a snarl, crouching like an animal, Kyuubi's power seeping out.

"Just a very minor relaxing drug. No long term effects, makes someone lose energy the more they move. Last for about a day or so...of course, for Mr. Uchiha here, it will last for a day. I was hoping to get him out of here and get him to the rendezvous point, it would only have taken about an hour or so," the man spoke calmly, the fox mask on his face only edging Naruto on more. This man resembled anbu, but he wasn't, anyone could tell he was not one of the anbu.

"What do you want with him, who's hiring you?" Naruto growled, watching the man closely, hearing a chuckle come from him.

"Now, now Mr. Uzumaki, if I told you that it would ruin the surprise, now wouldn't it? I can tell you this, Mr. Uchiha is very important to my employers. But while I'm here, I will have to take the cat with me, she seems attached to my ankle."

Naruto looked down at the man's ankle, seeing Dusk biting it and clawing at it violently, hissing and mewling in anger as much as possible.

"You aren't going anywhere with him! Or her!" Naruto growled, charging at the man, tackling him outside. Of course, the man was a lot stronger than Naruto thought he was. Even with Kyuubi helping Naruto without taking him over, the man was still a very big challenge.

Night time was coming and dusk was soon approaching, and the fight continued, everyone knew to keep out of it, except Kakashi and Tsunade when they finally got the word, they both rushed over. Kakashi went to go check on Sasuke, finding the raven still there, not moving very much with Dusk licking his face gently, meowing encouragement. The other two men were out cold, Naruto doing a number on them. Tsunade on the other hand, was having problems with the odd man. So far, he had avoided serious injury and was standing right outside the boundary line. Tsunade and Naruto could just tell that he was smiling behind that fox mask.

"It has been fun, Lady Tsunade, Mr. Uzumaki, but I am afraid I must cut our play date short," he said, waving to them slightly, before taking one step back. "Maybe next time. Oh yes, Lady Tsunade, the treatment for the medicine I used on Mr. Uchiha is simply rest and him avoiding all major movements. With that, I bid you adieu."

The man disappeared, without any trace of chakra or any way of escape, but Tsunade glared at the spot he was at. Defenses must be tripled. She quickly set up the boundary again, three times as strong as before, not for Sasuke, but for intruders. Now they only chakra the boundary would recognize as friend would be Naruto, Kakashi, and Tsunade, no one else would be allowed in, no one.

Sasuke was asleep in his room, Naruto there with him, right by the bed, almost falling asleep himself, but he refused to leave, Kakashi had to drag Naruto out of the room. Tsunade was checking Sasuke, the odd man was right, all he did need was rest and to avoid major movements. It didn't take long for Sasuke to curl up and fall asleep, Dusk by his side.

Throughout the whole night, anbu were posted, only the anbu Tsunade trusted with her life were standing guard, and no anbu with a fox mask. There was even an anbu inside the house, well, Yamato was, but he was no longer Yamato at that point, he was back to being an anbu for that night. Kakashi kept an eye on Naruto until the blond fox fell asleep. All windows where locked, all doors sealed, and all anbu switched out of shift every hour to make sure they stayed fresh. Some of the anbu didn't know why they were there protecting Sasuke, but Tsunade thought it was important they did.

XXX

Sasuke opened his eyes when Dusk gave a deep growl, as deep as a small kitten could. He glanced at his clock, seeing it was very early in the morning, the sun not even up yet. He blinked and rubbed one of his eyes, rolling over so he was facing the wall with the window, his back to the closed door. Sasuke was about to go back to sleep, before Dusk growled again. He finally looked at the small kitten, seeing she was growling at a dark shape in the corner. Sasuke sat up, already feeling his energy being drained from him, but it was a voice that made his blood run cold.

"Lay back down, Mr. Uchiha, I would hate to have you become worn out," the odd man said, walking over to Sasuke closing a book he was reading, the fox mask still in place. He carefully pushed Sasuke back down onto the bed and petted Dusk, having her latch onto his hand and try to tear past the thick gloves into the skin.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked, not yelling or being loud, instead, he wanted noting more than to just go back to sleep.

"Come now Mr. Uchiha, why would I tell you when it's much more fun if you guess?"

"Do I know you? Have we ever met?"

"No, Mr. Uchiha, this is our first meeting, but I know a lot about you. I needed to for my job, you see. I was hired to kidnap you and take you to my employers, but this is so much more fun. Messing around and confusing Tsunade and her loyal anbu."

Sasuke watched the man, he couldn't move much without feeling tired right after, so trying to attack him was pointless. The masked man watched Sasuke back. Sasuke could guess that if he could see the man's face, they would be shining in amusement and a wide smile on the face.

"Well, Mr. Uchiha, I guess I can tell you this: my employers...they are not the nicest of people, in a much franker sense, I would hate to deliver you over to them. I'm afraid a life with them would be nothing more than dog food and shock collars...of course, if I had a choice, I could have my own uses for you."

"Sorry, gramps, I don't have sex with strangers," Sasuke said sarcastically, hearing the man chuckle.

"Not sex, Mr. Uchiha. Want many people want you for is a weapon. Nothing more than a tool. I on the other hand...I see you as what the Leaf Village sees you: a person, but a very valuable one at that. You see, who ever has you in their possession and makes sure your safe and happy, controls Naruto. Why else would the Leaf Village keep you healthy and happy?" The odd man continued to watch Sasuke, knowing that all those thoughts had already occurred to the raven.

"You sure do talk a lot..." Sasuke mumbled, on the verge of falling back asleep.

"Yes, yes, I have been told that before...one of my horrible qualities..." the man trailed off, as if thinking about something. Sasuke closed his eyes for a split second then opened them again, sitting up quickly. The man wearing the fox mask disappeared, like he was never there in the first place. Dusk had already settled back down on the pillow specially for her beside Sasuke's. She looked at him and yawned cutely before going back to sleep herself.

Sasuke laid back down and curled up in bed, falling back asleep.

Kakashi came in a minute later and checked on him, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. He stopped quickly, before he left, noticing the only thing that was different than when he left was a small book left on the bedside table near Sasuke's clock. Kakashi picked it up and read the cover.

_ Legends of the Mystic Foxes._

He sighed and took it out of the room, how did it get there? He never remembered buying this book for Sasuke. Kakashi began to flip through it when he was relieved for his five minute break, it was actually interesting, but he stopped and called for Tsunade immediately.

"Kakashi, what is it?" Tsunade asked, having an anbu hand her a cup of coffee and Kakashi one as well.

"Listen to this: Out of all the mythical fox legends, nothing matches the legend of the Fox-Masked Man. Legend says the Fox-Masked Man has powers that surpass those of even ninjas and the tailed-beast combined. Given it is powerful, it is easy to defeat, but the weaknesses are well hidden. They tend to do what they can to better their lives and usually mean no harm. Acting and looking like normal humans, they make great assassins and thieves. The main way to recognize them is by a fox mask they wear and seem to never take off. Anything else behind this type of magical fox is unknown." Kakashi finished and looked at Tsunade.

"Kakashi...did you call me in here for story time?" Tsunade asked him.

"No. But I found this in Sasuke's room and I didn't buy it for him. But at this point, I'm willing to believe anything to stop this nonsense."

"So...you really believe that it's some magical being?"

"Of course not. But I am willing to believe that maybe there is some truth. Maybe this man doesn't use chakra at all?"

"...True. But for now, I don't want to stress Sasuke. Only tonight we're having heightened security, then every day will continue like normal until we can figure this mess out. Understand?"

"Yes, Lady Tsunade."

"And no more mythical fox business...until we can rule out all other possibilities."

"Just an idea," Kakashi said, humor in his voice. Tsunade smiled and stood up, the sun beginning to rise.

"Go to bed, Kakashi, we're leaving for now. I'll have an anbu patrol ever other night, alright?"

"Alright, good morning, Tsunade."

"Good morning, Kakashi."

XXX

Sabbia: There we go, another chapter up!

Sasuke: Magic fox...really?

Sabbia: I thought it would make things interesting.

Naruto: I like it.

Sasuke: of course you do...

Sabbia: R&R People!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"Talking"

_Thinking_

XXX

Sasuke gave a deep sigh, Dusk crawling on his chest and stomach, trying to find a way to get comfortable on the raven. It seemed that overnight, the once small kitten had grown into a medium sized cat, not as big as she would get though. She still had room to grow, but Sasuke seemed oblivious to the change. Naruto watched Dusk finally settle on Sasuke's stomach, rising and falling in time with the raven's breath. Either way, Tsunade was able to give Sasuke some medicine to make the drug the odd man gave him ware off faster, so he was fine now.

The incident in Sasuke's bedroom last night came as a shock to Kakashi, but not to Naruto. After all, the fox remembered the Fox-masked man coming into his room to. He didn't seem to want to cause any harm, if anything, he was just interested in how Naruto felt about Sasuke. Then again, Kyuubi didn't seem worried, not at all, actually, he was asking Naruto when the masked stranger would return. It was then, Tsunade decided to talk to Kyuubi.

She came over, Sasuke dozing on the couch with Dusk still on his stomach and Naruto sitting in his chair, and Kakashi getting up from his for Tsunade to sit down. Naruto glanced between Tsunade and Kakashi, knowing what they wanted. He sighed and closed his eyes letting Kyuubi take control.

"Kyuubi, we need you to answer some questions," Tsunade said immediately when the now red eyes opened.

"Not even a 'hello, Kyuubi, how are you?' or 'Hi, Kyuubi!'?" He said sarcastically, chuckling.

"Yes, yes, good to see you, how are you? Let's get down to business, about this Fox-masked man."

"Calm your horses, Grandma. What do you want to know, guy wears a fox mask."

"Can you recognize his chakra from anywhere?"

"Nope."

"So you've never sensed his chakra before?"

"Guy doesn't have one...I do recognize his scent though."

"And? Where do you recognize it from?"

"Before I was sealed into anyone, I met someone with that same scent, a long time ago, when I was still a young fox actually. Before Grandpa died." Kyuubi trailed off, sighing as he thought. "I don't think he's a threat, if that's what your wondering."

"It's what he said to Sasuke last night that worries me..." Tsunade mumbled, knowing Kyuubi heard.

"It's true. You know it is. Whoever controls Sasuke controls Naruto, given they know how to keep the Uchiha happy."

"I know...is Naruto awake?"

"Nope, he's taking a nap."

"Good. Kyuubi, anything else you can tell us about this masked man?"

"He's not magical or mystic in my opinion, but then again, I am a demon fox and people tend to call me 'magical'."

"Are you sure he's not a threat?"

"...That's also a matter of opinion. Can he harm you? No. Can he make you harm each other? Maybe. It depends on how you look at it."

"Can we stop him from coming?"

"Of course, if you kill him. But for some reason, I'm afraid that that is going to be difficult." Kyuubi chuckled and looked over to Sasuke, Dusk meowing at him. It was then that Kyuubi and Dusk began to have a conversation no one heard or understood. The small cat sneezed at Kyuubi and seemed to nod, going back to sleep.

"Well there you go," Kyuubi said, looking at Tsunade.

"What?"

"Oh right, human ears. Dusk told me that the man did speak to Sasuke last night, but he meant no harm. She believes that he will keep coming around until he tells us what he wants."

"...you got all that...from Dusk?"

"Animals aren't as stupid as you put them off to be," Kyuubi said flatly, chuckling when Tsunade looked flustered.

Tsunade left afterwords, letting Kakashi have his loved chair back and Naruto took control of his body again, yawing. Sasuke was still asleep, Dusk finally waking up and walking up his chest until she could poke his face with her paw, seeing his eyes open. Sasuke smiled at Dusk and petted her and slowly got up.

"Sasuke," Kakashi said, standing up once Sasuke was awake. "I have a mission to do, you have free reign of the village as long as Naruto stays with you. This means you can get your own movies and I can stop picking all the cheesy ones."

Sasuke nodded and said good bye to Kakashi when he left, looking at Naruto. The blond fox was watching him closely.

"What?" Sasuke asked, Dusk jumping up onto the top of the couch when Sasuke sat up.

"Can I?" Naruto asked hesitantly, seeing Sasuke look away, a light blush on his cheeks.

"I-I guess...?" Dusk seemed to smile at Sasuke in a knowing way, going to the kitchen to wait when her master was done so she could get her food.

Naruto sat down by Sasuke and gently touched the pale cheek, leaning close so their lips brushed against each other, then Naruto kissed Sasuke. Their interaction was small, but it just proved that Sasuke was getting more comfortable being around Naruto. They stayed like that for a minute or two until Dusk meowed for Sasuke, the raven moving back from Naruto, a blush on his cheeks. Sasuke quickly got up and went to the kitchen, feeding Dusk her daily amount. Naruto blinked and licked his lips slightly, he could still taste Sasuke. Kyuubi gave a knowing chuckle, hearing Naruto growl at him.

Sasuke watched Dusk eat, trying to calm his heart down and make the blush disappear. He sighed deeply, why was he giving in so easy? Why was he letting Naruto get close to him and kiss him? Sasuke didn't like the fact that he was giving in so easily, but, he enjoyed the contact, enjoyed being close to someone else, to feel like his company was wanted. Sasuke shook his head. No. He couldn't give in, not now, not ever. The kisses, all of that, was an accident. It wouldn't happen again...or so Sasuke thought. In reality, he wanted it to happen again, he liked the feeling that someone cared for him, and liked it even more when Naruto kissed him.

Naruto looked up when Sasuke came back, Dusk actually on his shoulders as he motioned to the door with his head.

"Want to go get a movie or two?" He asked, Dusk meowing as she jumped off of Sasuke's shoulder and onto the couch, purring at her jumping success. Naruto nodded, smiling at Sasuke, holding the door open for him. Sasuke nodded a thanks to Naruto before walking out of the house, seeing Naruto lock the door and follow them. Of course, Sasuke stopped right at the edge of the barrier, wondering if he could really pass through it. Naruto gave an encouraging smile and took Sasuke hand, pulling him out of the barrier. Sasuke looked back at the house and followed Naruto, the fox knew how to get to the movie store better than he did.

They walked for a while, Naruto letting Sasuke pick out whatever movies he wanted when they were at the store. The store clerk however, was less happy that Sasuke was there, even tried throwing him out, until Naruto intervened. Sasuke ended up getting quite a few movies, Naruto more than happy to put it on Kakashi's tab. As the walked back, dark clouds began to move in, promising rain. Sasuke watched the dark clouds with interest, not realizing that Naruto took his hand again.

"Will it rain?" Sasuke asked when they were back inside the barrier, Naruto unlocking the door.

"Maybe," Naruto responded, smiling at Sasuke, letting the raven walk inside first. Sasuke put in one of the movies and sat on the couch, Naruto looking at him.

"Can I sit beside you?"

"Yeah..." Sasuke said, looking at Naruto and giving a small, quick smile. Naruto sat beside Sasuke, close enough so he could touch the raven, but not close enough to make Sasuke uncomfortable. As the movie started playing, Naruto watched Sasuke carefully, the raven staring at the screen. Dusk hopped up onto Sasuke lap, purring and making herself comfortable, curling into a ball. Half way through the movie, Sasuke actually leaned against Naruto, still watching the screen, not even realizing what he was doing. All Sasuke knew was that he was more comfortable and warm. Naruto swallowed hard, looking at Sasuke curiously, but didn't say anything, he liked this. Finally, once the movie was over and the screen turned black, Naruto turned off the TV, looking at Sasuke, seeing that the raven was asleep.

Naruto smiled, wanting to pull Sasuke closer and sleep with him, but Naruto didn't want to push his luck with Sasuke, not yet anyway. Instead, Naruto gently moved so he could pick up Sasuke, having Dusk hiss at him since she had to move. Sasuke stirred in Naruto's arms, opening his eyes when the blond was carrying him upstairs. Naruto froze when he was at Sasuke door, looking at Sasuke until the raven yawned, cuddling closer to Naruto.

"Hurry up and take me to bed, Dope," Sasuke mumbled into Naruto's shirt. Naruto blushed and smiled, taking Sasuke into the raven's bed room and placing him on the bed. Sasuke grabbed Naruto's arm and pointed over to a drawer, the fox going over to it and handing Sasuke a pair of his night shorts.

"Thanks," Sasuke mumbled, waiting for Naruto to leave the room until he kicked his pants off and put on the shorts, taking off his shirt and throwing it to the floor with his pants. Sasuke pulled the blankets over him, rolling over onto his side, ready to sleep.

"Hello there, Mr. Uchiha. Had a fun day?" Sasuke opened his eyes, seeing the masked man sitting on the open window sill. Sasuke studied him, seeing no weapon.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked, Dusk hoping up onto the bed, the door cracked just enough so she could get in. She went over to her pillow, meowing a hello to the masked man.

"I just want to talk, Mr. Uchiha, even you must get lonely," the man said, tilting his head a little.

"Literally, what do you want?"

"Just as I said, Mr. Uchiha, I just want to talk. Company, if you would."

The man sat there on the window sill until it began to rain. He stood up and closed the window softly, leaving the curtains open. So Sasuke saw the rain hitting the window.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked, looking at the fox mask, feeling the man staring back at him.

"That would ruin the surprise, Mr. Uchiha. Do you really want to know?"

"...Yes."

"Then you'll find out later on. I would hate to stop the game so soon."

"What game? Why me? Why not Sakura or something? She's be thrilled to think someone likes her."

"Because your interesting, Mr. Uchiha. Very interesting to watch. You and Mr. Uzumaki. Together you make a very interesting show, indeed. The pink haired companion you speak of...is...well, I dare say, very boring."

Sasuke chuckled then continued, "Why the formality?"

"Formality is my specialty, Mr. Uchiha. Why, I don't know you well enough to be informal. I do hope that one day I can be informal with both you and Mr. Uzumaki."

They went through silence, Sasuke watching the man, and the man watching Sasuke.

"Mr. Uchiha, may I inquire you for a minute?"

"Depends what your asking."

"Well, if I may speak frankly, what is it that you think of Mr. Uzumaki?"

"...What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you like him as a friend, see him as a comrade, like him as a brother, or...something more? You don't have to answer, I'm just curious."

"I don't know. I don't hate him, but I'm not sure if I like him either."

"I see...thank you, Mr. Uchiha, but I must be on my way. Please, rest for tomorrow."

"Hold on," Sasuke said, sitting up quickly before the masked man could leave, seeing the mask's eyes fall on him again.

"Something wrong, Mr. Uchiha?"

"Who are you? What are you doing?"

"A simple person that is of no interest to anyone...but, I am here to simply make sure no harm comes to you or to Mr. Uzumaki."

"Why?"

"I have my reasons. Good night, Mr. Uchiha."

Sasuke watched the masked man leave through the window, shutting it before he disappeared completely. The rain was still falling, but it seemed that none of the rain touched the fox-masked man. Either way, Sasuke laid down and curled up, Dusk already sleeping. He didn't dwell on it, he just fell asleep.

XXX

Naruto woke up first, like usual. He got up slowly, going down to the kitchen to start breakfast. He felt heavy, his heart did, and he didn't know why.

"Are you alright, Mr. Uzumaki?" Naruto jumped, looking behind him in a shock, the fox-masked man sitting in one of the kitchen table chairs, idly reading the newspaper that he found somewhere.

"How did you...?"

"I used the door like normal people, Mr. Uzumaki."

"Right," Naruto sighed, going back to cooking, trying to ignore the man behind him.

"Something is wrong with you, and I want to know why, that's all Mr. Uzumaki."

"Why would something be wrong with me?"

"You are less cheerful than usual."

"Nothing, nothing's wrong."

"Are you sure about that?"

Naruto sighed deeply and rubbed his eyes, breakfast done.

"You hungry?"

"No, I don't eat normal food. Thank you though."

The man watched Naruto, but when the fox looked behind him to ask the man another question, he was gone. Naruto sighed, what was with that guy? Either way, Sasuke had come down stairs, sniffing about for food, giving Naruto a quick smile before he grabbed a plate with a thank you. Naruto smiled, feeling lighter already, happiness filling him. He took his own plate and ate quickly, seeing Dusk walk into the room, meowing a good morning to them both.

"Sasuke, has she been growing to you? She looks bigger."

"I can't see a deference," Sasuke yawned, still sleepy. Naruto smiled and chuckled, cleaning his plate when he finished eating, glancing back at Sasuke every now and then with a happy smile and a glow in the blue eyes. Sasuke glanced at Naruto taking his plate to the sink and cleaning it off, knowing Naruto was watching him.

"Sasuke," Naruto said quietly, waiting until the raven looked at him to continue, "can I hug you?"

"OK?" Sasuke responded, raising an eyebrow at him, no one had ever asked if they could hug him before, it was a nice gesture to Sasuke.

Naruto smiled and very carefully and gently pulled Sasuke into his chest, holding him close. They stayed there for a long while, Sasuke closing his eyes at some point and giving a deep sigh, liking the warmth and security Naruto offered him.

"Sasuke, I want you happy. If there is anything I can do, please let me know," Naruto mumbled into Sasuke's shirt, feeling the raven nod against him.

"OK."

At that time, Dusk meowed and hissed a little, she had been waiting to get fed and brushed. Sasuke made Naruto let go of him and went about taking care of Dusk, not seeing the happy smile Naruto had when he walked out of the room.

XXX

Sabbia: Yay!

Sasuke: You're just making stuff up as you go along, aren't you?

Sabbia: Maybe.

Naruto: R&R people!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"Talking"

_Thinking_

XXX

The morning was a tense one, very tense. Kakashi sat in his chair, glaring at the fox-masked man that was sitting in Naruto's chair. Naruto and Sasuke occupying the couch with Dusk, watching the tension rise between Kakashi and the masked man. Kakashi rapped his fingers against the arm of the chair, the masked man sitting with his legs crossed and hands in his lap, back straight and head in an alert position. He looked relaxed, but proper. They stared at each other for a good five minutes before Dusk meowed loudly at them as a sign for them to get on with it. The masked man looked at Dusk and titled his head a little to the side, then looked to Kakashi.

"Well, seeing as you are...not comfortable with my presence, I shall be the first to say hello. Hello, Mr. Hatake."

Kakashi grunted in greeting, glaring at the man. The tension built again. The masked man sighed, seeming sad when his shoulders dropped.

"Please, Mr. Hatake, let's stop the tension, can we just talk? Keep calm and talk?"

"Depends what it is you want to talk about."

"Why, anything you want, Mr. Hatake. I am a guest in this house, I shall discuss whatever you prefer."

Kakashi eyed the man and then Sasuke and Naruto. Why were they so relaxed around this odd man? He remembered them telling him that the man was harmless and that he even meant no harm, but it would take more than that to convince Kakashi.

"Fine, I want to talk about you."

"Me? Why, I'm flattered, Mr. Hatake. What would you like to know?"

"Who...what are you?"

"No one of importance."

"That didn't answer my question."

"Why would I tell you Mr. Hatake, it's much more fun for me if you figure it out on your own."

The masked man looked straight at Kakashi, finally letting his gaze fall on Naruto.

"I mean, Kyuubi knows who I am quite well, even though he may not remember me. We've had a long history."

Kakashi gave an accusing glare to Naruto, seeing the fox shrug. Kyuubi, on the other hand, was pondering. He knew this odd man? From where? Why, for once, wasn't this strange man being formal with his name?

"How? How does Kyuubi know you?"

"Well, I did care for him before his grandpa died...many of us cared for each of the Tailed-Beast. But when they were being sealed into humans, our service to them was severed and we all wandered the world. Many died, eight died actually."

"Leaving only one, you..." Kakashi mumbled, now pondering himself, how did Kyuubi not remember this guy?

"Yes, basically, Mr. Hatake. I only wish Kyuubi could remember me...quite depressing...but! I keep my chin high and entertain myself by watching the daily lives of Mr. Uchiha and Mr. Uzumaki."

"What were you to Kyuubi?"

"If you don't mind, I would much rather prefer it if Kyuubi could remember on his own."

The masked man stood up and bowed a little.

"Where are you going?" Kakashi asked, standing up as well, ready for an attack.

"No where, Mr. Hatake, but back home for a bit. I'll see you all later on, good bye, Mr. Hatake, Mr. Uchiha, Mr. Uzumaki, Kyuubi." with that, the masked man disappeared.

Kakashi looked at Naruto, seeing him nod as he closed his eyes, going back into his mind to question Kyuubi. Sasuke and Dusk looked at Kakashi, seeing him give a deep sigh.

"Sasuke, I have some more missions I need to do...if you need anything, anything at all, wake Naruto or wait until I return. Alright? But...keep an eye on Naruto."

Sasuke nodded and watched Kakashi leave and lock the door behind him. The raven stood up, Dusk hopping onto the coffee table and watching him as he put another movie in and sat back down on the couch, looking at Naruto for a few seconds while the movie played. This would be his perfect chance, he could kill Naruto, take Dusk and leave the barrier and escape the village, he could take the collar off once he got outside Konoha. He studied Naruto for a minute, looking back at the movie screen, thinking.

Naruto was looking at Kyuubi, the giant fox thinking very hard, trying to remember the masked man. Naruto waited patiently, watching Kyuubi, until finally the eyes opened, watching Naruto.

"Well? Do you remember him?"

"Slightly. I have a vague memory from when I was born...I think he was my care taker."

"Care taker? So your baby-sitter."

"In basic terms yes, but he did more than that. I think he trained me, taught me things, like a teacher in school would."

"So, that's how he knows you? Is that why he's informal?"

"I suppose. I'm not quite sure...if only Shukaku was still around I could ask him. And Killer Bee is gone on that mission, right? Didn't he tell you something about a mission?"

"Yeah, a while ago, said it was three months long or something. I think he goes back home in about two weeks."

Kyuubi hummed and closed his eyes again, resting his head on his crossed paws, thinking again.

"I don't know...I just don't know...how could I not remember him? I knew I recognized the scent, but why can't I remember?"

"Well, I'll leave you to it, I'm going to spend some time with Sasuke," Naruto said, patting Kyuubi's head before he left his inner mind.

When he woke up, he was shocked, frozen actually. He was laying down on the couch, back against one of the armrest, Sasuke laying against him, completely focused on the movie that was playing. Dusk was sitting on the back of the couch, looking at Naruto and seeming to smirk at him before looking back to the movie with Sasuke. Naruto looked at Sasuke, swallowing.

"Uh, Sasuke?"

"What, Dope?"

"What are you...uh...doing?"

"I wanted something warm to lean against and I would crush Dusk."

"Oh, OK..." Naruto said, wanting to wrap his arms around Sasuke and hold him closer, but he didn't, not knowing if Sasuke would mind.

"Hey, uh, Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

"Can I, uh, put my arms around you?" Naruto asked, swallowing hard.

"...Yeah..." Sasuke said after thinking for a bit, feeling Naruto's arms wrap around him gently, holding him closer. Naruto's eyes went over Sasuke, a soft smile on his lips, he even heard Kyuubi give a sort of purr. Of course, Kyuubi's purr was one that Naruto did not want to hear. The blond fox swallowed again, trying to bite back the urge to pin Sasuke to the couch and fuck him.

_"Just do it, Naruto,"_ Kyuubi growled at his kit, he was sick of waiting, his heat was close to reaching the peak. And even Kyuubi knew that Naruto wouldn't be able to control himself during that time. Naruto shook his head, he wouldn't. Sasuke sighed quietly as he cuddled up to Naruto, shutting his eyes. Sasuke didn't know why he liked this, but he enjoyed being close to Naruto, feeling the warmth and like he was wanted.

They stayed there for a while, Naruto dozing off with Sasuke still cuddled up to him when Kakashi walked in.

"Naruto," Kakashi said very softly, nudging Naruto until he woke up. "Take Sasuke to bed, it's late. Then come back down here, I need to ask Kyuubi some questions."

Naruto nodded and very slowly and carefully moved Sasuke to where Naruto could pick him up bridal style, carrying him upstairs. The whole time, Sasuke didn't wake up, he just gave a mumble and a yawn, curling up into the sheets once Naruto laid him down on the bed. Naruto was tempted to change Sasuke into the shorts he knew the raven liked to sleep in, but didn't, he didn't want to make Sasuke hate him. Instead, Naruto leaned close to Sasuke and kissed the pale forehead.

"Night, Sasuke."

Naruto headed back down stairs, sitting down in his chair as Kakashi was already sitting in his own. Naruto shut his eyes, relaxing, until his eyes opened, the red shinning, a smirk on the face as the red eyes watched Kakashi.

"Yes, Kakashi? What do you want today?" Kyuubi asked, chuckling when Kakashi rolled his eyes.

"Have you remembered anything?"

"The only thing I remember is that he was my care-taker..."

"Your baby-sitter?"

"...Yeah, my baby-sitter." Kyuubi hissed out, glaring at Kakashi for a split second. "But other than that, nothing...I can barely remember anything about him, but his scent."

They sat there, thinking, Kyuubi giving a small growl, sitting up straight when he looked at the couch, the fox-masked man sitting there. Kakashi jumped up, holding back a frightened yelp, watching the man.

"So, Kyuubi, have you remembered me?" The masked man asked, looking at Kyuubi, his head tilted a little to the side.

"A little," Kyuubi responded, watching the masked man carefully.

"Only a little? Even after all the time I was raising you when your grandfather was to busy?" The masked man said, seeming sad. He sighed and shook his head a little.

"I guess that is to be expected though...oh well, at least you remembered me a little."

"Hey, fox-mask, what's your name?" Kyuubi asked, seeing the masked-man look up at him.

"So you don't remember that either?"

"Huh?"

"You are the one that gave me a name, Kyuubi. My name was not for me to choose," the man said, shaking his head a little. Kakashi looked at the side of the mask on the man, wondering where it attached to the face with. But Kakashi couldn't tell, it actually seemed like the mask _was_ the man's face.

"Kyuubi, Mr. Hatake, allow me to now fully explain," he said, looking at them both. "When a tailed-beast is born, they make a familiar. The familiar has no chakra, and they symbolize what animal their tailed-beast is made out of. The familiar is born with knowledge of the world and the knowledge of the tailed-beast that created them. We have one purpose and one purpose only: to care for our tailed-beast and be their friend. But when our tailed-beast are sealed inside a human, we lose all purpose. We wander in search of a new master, but no one accepts us, but our tailed-beast. It also seems that when our tailed-beast are sealed, they lose some memories. I mean, Kyuubi, right before you were sealed in the first human, you said you would only be out for a bit and you would return home...but you never came back."

Kyuubi was silent, looking down, remembering very little, trying to bring back some of the memories, like the masked man's name.

"Can you not tell us your name?" Kakashi asked, seeing the masked man looked at him.

"I can not, Mr. Hatake. I forgot it over the long years."

Kakashi and Kyuubi sighed. Either way, the masked man left after a few more minutes, making Kyuubi want to think harder about things, letting Naruto have control again.

"Were you listening, Naruto?"

"Yeah, I was," Naruto yawned, looking at Kakashi. "So, what has Tsunade decided?"

"Tomorrow. Tomorrow you and Sasuke are going to a cabin somewhere out in the country. The location is hidden to prevent any kidnappers from finding out. I'll accompany you there and do some recon work in the surrounding area while you and Sasuke spend time in the cabin. It will be completely stocked with everything including movies and books for Sasuke."

Naruto nodded, rubbing his hair. "Is there a place for me to...?"

"Yes. A safety room, if Kyuubi's heat gets out of hand, for you to go to just in case."

"Good, I'll probably need that," Naruto mumbled, looking up at the ceiling. "Kakashi?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think...Sasuke is becoming more open?"

"Of course, he was cuddling with you, wasn't he?"

"Yeah...that's true...and the thing is...he had a perfect chance to kill me then. But he didn't."

"Best not to dwell, go on to bed, I'll get everything else ready for tomorrow. Good night, Naruto."

XXX

Sabbia: Done! Hope that tells you who the masked man is!

Sasuke: R&R people!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"Talking"

_Thinking_

XXX

The morning was a busy, but happy one. Naruto was up early, already packed to what Kakashi said he needed to bring, also packing Sasuke's bags. The raven woke up when Naruto was in his room, but Naruto assured Sasuke he was just packing up some things, making Sasuke fall back to sleep quickly. Dusk on the other hand was watching Naruto the whole time until he left the room, closing the door. But for now, Naruto was making breakfast, wondering how the cabin they were supposed to stay in would look. Would it be big, small, medium? Where would it be? In a meadow, actually in the woods, or somewhere else? Naruto was bursting with questions, but they all came back to one main question that was burning in the back of his mind: Would Sasuke be happy?

Either way, Sasuke finally woke up and took a shower, going downstairs afterwords and eating some food quickly, before looking at Naruto.

"What's going on?" He asked, seeing Naruto smile at him warmly.

"We're going on a vacation. In an hour, we'll be leaving."

"Is Dusk going?"

"Of course. Kakashi is going to take her there early. He should drop by any minute to pick her up with her things that I already packed. She'll be waiting for us when we get there."

Sasuke nodded and petted Dusk when she hopped into his lap, meowing up at him, giving a loud purr. Naruto smiled and went into the living room, sitting on the couch,waiting for Kakashi. He was still tired after waking up early, he wanted to sleep, but refused. Kyuubi had been more active, and Naruto feared nothing more than the demon fox taking him over and raping Sasuke.

A few minutes later, Kakashi came in, having to coax Dusk from Sasuke, the small cat hissing at him and clawing at him, keeping close to Sasuke at the sight of the carrier. Dusk gave another violent hiss while Kakashi forced her in the carrier, locking the door quickly, the small cat trying to get out.

"I promise that as soon as I get to the house, I'll let her out," Kakashi promised Sasuke, smiling and leaving with their things, several anbu there to help him. Naruto smiled at Sasuke, patting his shoulder.

"We can leave any time you want."

An hour later, Sasuke was outside, sitting on the porch watching people walk around outside the barrier curiously. Naruto had gotten worried, Sasuke had been oddly quiet. The fox gave a heavy sigh before he joined Sasuke outside, maybe he could pry at to what was wrong on the way to the cabin? He and Sasuke were walking, The chakra collar having it's power lowered so Sasuke had enough chakra to travel by tree with Naruto, it gave Sasuke a happy feeling to have some more freedom and to have at least a little of his chakra back.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked, sitting next to Sasuke as they waited for the anbu that was supposed to guide them to arrive.

"Hm?" Sasuke hummed back, looking at Naruto.

"Everything alright?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"...You sure? I mean, you seem quiet..."

Sasuke looked at Naruto again from the corner of his eye and giving a small nod.

"I'm fine, just tired," he mumbled back, looking at the ground to watch a small beetle crawl beside his foot. Naruto watched with him, relieved when Sasuke didn't step on the bug as it wandered away.

"Naruto, why are they letting me leave the village?"

"Because of good behavior I suppose. Or maybe it's because Tsunade thinks you deserve a break from being in this village. Get some new surroundings and all that." Naruto smiled at Sasuke, leaning close enough to gently kiss the pale cheek. "I think you deserve a vacation anyway."

Sasuke blushed lightly, not used to being talked softly to or being treated kindly in that manner, looking as an anbu approached them, dropping the boundary. Naruto stood up, helping Sasuke as they followed the anbu, the man turning around to look at Sasuke from behind the cat mask.

"If you need us to slow down any or to take a break, just tell me, alright? Uchiha?" Sasuke nodded as he followed Naruto and the man into the first tree, beginning to jump form branch to branch. Naruto and the anbu were pleasantly surprised that Sasuke didn't tire out for about three hours straight. They stopped quickly for a breather, Sasuke only panting slightly. Naruto smiled at Sasuke again, getting a small twitch of Sasuke's lips in return, but he could tell the black eyes were smiling. Once they continued, Sasuke took the time to watch the scenery go by, spotting several deer and racoons and foxes as they went on their way.

"We're here. Hope you enjoy your stay, Uchiha, Naruto."

Naruto bid farewell to the anbu, keeping a close eye on Sasuke. The raven was looking at the cabin. It was two stories and was a very big cabin, looked brand new and fancy.

"How much does this place cost?" Sasuke asked, looking at Naruto.

"I don't know, a lot I guess for how fancy it looks on the outside...what about the inside?" Naruto chuckled, walking up to the door, opening it and going inside. Sasuke followed close behind, immediately picking up Dusk as soon as he spotted the little cat, Naruto closing the door behind them and giving a whistle.

"Look at this place! It's huge! Makes our little home in the Leaf look like an ant hill."

Sasuke looked around, seeing a large sofa that looked very comfortable, a large blanket draped over the back of it, three armchairs, a large fireplace also with a fancy grate. Walking into another room, there was another large couch, and a large TV planted on the wall with a movie cabinet under it, the room having a few windows with the curtains open, letting some light in from the setting sun. Naruto was already up stairs, finding his room easily, all his things in it. His room was a fairly good size, the same as Sasuke's. But the upstairs was much larger than the one back in the Leaf, there was more room everywhere. Naruto went back down the stairs, finding the kitchen with Sasuke rummaging around in the cabinets for food.

"Hungry, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, seeing Sasuke shake his head.

"No, but Dusk is." Once Sasuke found the cat food he fed Dusk, watching her eat with a soft smile. Naruto chuckled and got out some pots, going to cook dinner with what the anbu stocked the house with. Sasuke on the other hand decided to explore the house once Dusk finished eating, the now-large-cat following him around, hopping on his shoulder so she didn't have to walk around. Soon, Sasuke finished looking around the house and went outside onto the front porch. He sniffed the air, noticing that the barrier was really large, but strong. He shrugged, he knew that the anbu no longer figured him to try and escape, and Sasuke's wouldn't. Not as long as food was promised with comfort. He was content for once. He looked to the side of him, seeing a porch swing that was set up.

Naruto began to worry, he looked throughout the house once dinner was ready, not finding Sasuke anywhere. Finally, Naruto looked outside, finding Sasuke comfortable sitting on the swing, Dusk in his lap as he watched the trees in the distance sway in the wind as they sun began to set. The meadow surrounding the house shined a gold while the tall grass swayed. Naruto smiled and walked up to Sasuke, sitting next to him.

"Dinner's ready, if you're hungry. Want to come inside?" Naruto asked, seeing Sasuke's eyes land on him, the raven was quiet. Naruto had a dark blush spread on his cheeks when Sasuke laid his head down on Naruto's lap, curling up on his side as he kept watching the grass and trees, Dusk now sitting on his side like a Queen, her chin raised.

"No, I'm not very hungry," Sasuke mumbled, closing his eyes. Naruto swallowed, as he very carefully placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, looking down at him.

"You sure? I made rice with tender chicken tonight."

"I'm sure."

Naruto finally dozed off, not paying much attention to anything until Sasuke sat up fast, Dusk growling at him as she hopped on his shoulder, glaring at the tree line. The sun was almost set. Naruto bolted awake and looked at Sasuke, the raven's eyes wide as they searched the tree line, Naruto noticing the edges of his eyes were red, trying to go to his Sharingan, but the collar keeping it at bay.

"Sas-" Naruto stopped when Sasuke forced his hand against Naruto's mouth, the black eyes still wide, Naruto noticed Sasuke seemed scared, even Dusk was giving a low growl, her fur standing on end as her tail twitched madly.

"Did you see it?" Sasuke said in just above a whisper, Naruto barely hearing him. Naruto shook his head, Sasuke's hand still preventing him from talking. "I want to go inside...now!" Sasuke said, rushing inside, Dusk right behind him, both of them running as if something was chasing them. Naruto went to the door, watching the woods, not seeing anything. He looked inside the house, then back at the trees, feeling his skin crawl. There, in the break of the trees, a lone figure was standing, watching him. Naruto slammed the door shut, locking all the locks, running through the house locking everything, including the windows. Sasuke was sitting on the comfortable couch in the room with the TV, all the curtains drawn, all the lights turned on. Naruto walked in, seeing Dusk shaking in Sasuke's lap, reacting to every little sound that made Sasuke jump.

"Sasu-"

"Did you see it?" Sasuke asked, his voice shaking. "Did you see it?" He asked again, more firm, looking back at Naruto, the fox noticing that the black eyes were still wide, fear coating them.

"I saw a figure-"

"Not that! Did you see it? His chakra?"

"...Yeah. I did." Naruto said, not knowing why he was scared, to him it was just a man with strong chakra. But apparently, Sasuke's fear was contagious. "Sasuke, it was just someone with strong chakra, probably someone wondering what we were doing. We are close to the boarder of the Rain Country. I'm sure it's just a ninja wondering what we're doing." Naruto sat down next to Sasuke, pulling the raven close, noticing that Sasuke wasn't fighting him, but actually trying to get closer.

"Why are you so afraid of him?"

"I don't know...a gut feeling...I just...don't like it," Sasuke mumbled, against Naruto's shirt, Dusk running to the main door, making Sasuke follow her briskly as Kakashi came in, looking at Sasuke with wide eyes as the raven sighed, Dusk jumping into his arms.

"I-I'm going to bed," Sasuke mumbled, quickly going upstairs to sleep, taking Dusk with him. Kakashi looked to Naruto, shutting and locking the door, placing a bag down on the table in the kitchen, taking off his cloak.

"What was all that about? He looks like he's seen a ghost," Kakashi said, taking the movies and books out of the bag, along with placing a package on the table, it was wrapped up in black paper.

"We saw someone in the woods, they had powerful chakra. For some reason, it scared Sasuke," Naruto said, leaning against the wall next to the table, looking at Kakashi when he turned around to face him.

"I sensed nothing when I came through the woods, out in front of the house?"

"Yeah, there."

"Nothing, not a trace. Maybe it was a ninja from the Rain Village."

"That's what I said, but Sasuke was still scared."

"Maybe it's just because we're in a new place, new surroundings. Give him a few days to get used to it, then he'll get better. I mean, the Rain Village do have access to this part. They tend to patrol with us. Sasuke will realize that it was just a concerned ninja of the Rain checking to see what was going on. I'll have Tsunade send a message to them and ask for who was patrolling the area during the time you two saw the man, and get him to come by and explain."

"Thanks, Kakashi, how long are we staying here?"

"Tsunade said for however long Sasuke wanted. Even said if he likes the place enough, you two could move here."

"Really?"

"Seems Tsunade is going all out to keep Sasuke pacified and keep you happy. She thinks giving him more choices will help to make him feel more free and more like a part of the village. Oh, and she asked for me to give this to Sasuke."

Kakashi, turned around and took the lid off the box, handing Naruto a headband, the Leaf symbol carved in it. The ties were a dark black. The other item in the box was a warm, thick, black trench cloak, a small Uchiha symbol on the back of the collar. Naruto smiled, placing the items back in the box carefully.

"She said to wait until we get Sasuke used to the place, and used to us some more. Whenever you think Sasuke is ready to become part of the village again, give them to him. Until then, I'll hide them in my room."

"Wait...you have a room?"

"Yeah, I'm staying in the basement. I'll be gone mostly doing some work in the nearby area in conjunction with the Rain, peace treaties, reconnaissance, boarder control. The usual."

Naruto nodded, looking at the door.

"Just, for Sasuke, make sure all the doors and windows are locked, OK?" Naruto said, going upstairs to check on Sasuke.

Sasuke was sleeping, curled in a small ball, Dusk on a pillow next to him. Naruto smiled, shutting off the light Sasuke kept on, closing the door and going to his own room.

The day started normally for Naruto, but not for Sasuke. He woke up in fear, feeling that chakra again. He sat up fast, feeling that it was much closer that before. Dusk was even growling, looking at Sasuke as the chakra suddenly disappeared. He looked down at Dusk, sweat on his brow.

"You felt it, too?" Dusk nodded. Sasuke rubbed his eyes, finally getting up, taking a shower in the insanely large bathroom he and Naruto shared. Once he was done, he changed into clean clothes, putting on warm cargo pants and a T-shirt. Dusk waited for him to finish changing and making his bed, a habit Sasuke had had since he was a small child, and go down stairs and feed her. Sasuke headed down the stairs, going to the kitchen, saying good morning to Naruto and Kakashi, feeding Dusk before he even thought about food, hungry from the other day.

"Kakashi, Naruto...did you guys feel any chakra this morning?" Sasuke asked once he finished eating, Dusk looking up at all of them, licking her lips from the remains of her food. Kakashi and Naruto gave Sasuke an odd look, shaking their heads.

"No, Sasuke, I didn't sense anything, and the barrier didn't give off any indication of chakra passing through it it was familiarized with," Kakashi said, watching Sasuke when the pale face went paler.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked, walking over to him.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Sasuke mumbled, going to the living room to lay down, Naruto and Kakashi following.

"Sasuke? What's wrong?" Naruto asked urgently, placing a hand on Sasuke shoulder.

"You're telling me you didn't feel a strong chakra? This morning?" Naruto shook his head, Kakashi looking at the door.

"I'm going to go to check the surrounding area out, it'll be alright Sasuke," Kakashi said, leaving. Naruto locked the door from behind him, looking back at Sasuke.

"Sasuke? It'll be OK, really, I promise, nothing will happen to you while I'm here."

Sasuke looked over at Naruto, his eyes filled with worry.

"That chakra...I didn't like it. It was...wrong."

"You're not joking, are you?" Naruto asked, sitting next to Sasuke, rubbing his shoulder gently. Sasuke shook his head closing his eyes.

"It'll be fine, it's probably just some Rain Ninja that's trying to show off or doesn't know that we're this close to the boarders."

"I hope your right about that."

"Who knows, it might be Mr. Fox-Face."

"Impossible, he has no chakra, remember?" Naruto's smile faded from his lips, looking at Dusk, the cat giving a small meow. Either way, Sasuke calmed down as they watched a movie, Sasuke seeking physical comfort from Naruto, leaning against him, actually wanting Naruto to keep him arms around him. Sasuke felt safe. Naruto on the other hand, would have to retreat to the 'safety room' that was actually a room in the basement, past Kakashi's room, every few hours. There he had to calm down, Kyuubi giving whispers and growls, trying to get him to claim Sasuke.

Naruto gave a deep shiver as he ran his fingers through his hair, glancing at the safety room door again, making sure he locked it so Sasuke wouldn't accidentally wander in. Naruto gave another shiver, trying to fight down the urge, it was getting harder.

After several minutes, Naruto left the room, going back to be with Sasuke, seeing the dark eyes land on him, coated with worry.

"Hey," Naruto said, smiling at him. "Sorry..."

"Are you feeling OK?"

"Yeah, just uh...odd every now and then. I'm OK though," Naruto said, smiling at Sasuke.

_"Are you really OK? Or just on the edge of bursting with desire and want?"_ Naruto heard Kyuubi whisper to him. He swallowed hard, Sasuke actually standing up to look at him and touch his shoulder.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked, feeling some of Kyuubi's chakra leak from Naruto, the blue eyes looking at him, as if in pain.

"Sasuke, please, just, get away from me for a moment, I don't want to hurt you," Naruto mumbled, trying to escape back down to the basement, hearing Kyuubi's dark chuckle. Sasuke grabbed Naruto's arm, looking at him.

"You always help me, let me help you."

"Sasuke, you do not know what your asking to do for me, alright? I just don't want to hurt you or do something I'm going to regret, OK?"

"Then tell me what's wrong, please."

Naruto gave a soft groan, shaking now, Kyuubi was trying to take him over, or dive the mating need deeper into Naruto, trying to force him to take Sasuke.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked again, backing away a little. Naruto gripped his head, more of Kyuubi's chakra seeping through.

"Please, just get away from me," Naruto mumbled, taking a deep shaking breath. Sasuke refused to move any further, and Dusk began to growl at Naruto, hissing at him loudly.

Then he snapped.

Naruto abruptly turned around and tackled Sasuke, pinning him to the floor, his eyes bleeding almost completely red, his teeth much sharper as he gave a smirk at Sasuke. Sasuke on the other hand was finally having his vision go back to normal, his head hitting the wood floor hard. He couldn't move his hands, but what scared him the most, was when Dusk went to attack Naruto, trying to get him off of her master, but Naruto, almost as if he had no feelings, hit her away. The cat hit the floor hard, giving a loud, painful yelp as she ran off. Sasuke felt tears gather in his eyes, he loved that cat, and she was hurt. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he violently began to kick out at Naruto, trying to get free, he looked into Naruto's eyes, not even seeing Naruto anywhere in the redness.

"N-Naruto?" Sasuke asked, seeing the smirk grow wider and the red eyes narrow at him.

"Not quite."

Sasuke stared up at the ceiling, Naruto, or Kyuubi, off of him. He sat up, looking at his savor, seeing the masked man wrestling with Kyuubi, finally pinning him, face down, on the ground, keeping a knee on the back, pinning the arms behind Kyuubi's back. The masked man took out a small sac of something, taking out some sort of herb and forcing Kyuubi to eat it. Almost immediately after he had swallowed it, the red eyes went back to blue as Naruto gave a heavy sob, refusing to look at Sasuke as the masked man looked at the raven, seeing Sasuke's eyes still wide as he wanted Naruto, Dusk coming over to him, meowing at him. Sasuke checked her, seeing no permanent damage, done, only maybe her side being tender where she landed.

"Sasuke?" The masked man questioned, letting Naruto go, the blond fox curling up in a small ball, sobbing quietly to himself, Kyuubi pacified and asleep by whatever herb it was the masked man gave him. The masked man carefully touched Sasuke shoulder, feeling the raven tense away, watching the masked man with wide eyes, almost like before he began to grow calm. Sasuke didn't wanted to be touched, by anyone. Dusk meowed up at Sasuke, rubbing her head against his chest lovingly, but she hopped off his lap and looked at the door, her heart dropping, she knew what was about to happen.

Kakashi opened the door, seeing the masked man kneeling down next to Sasuke, who looked over at Kakashi with a wild look in his eyes. Sasuke kissing the top of Dusk head, then darted out of the house, running as fast as he could away, the barrier not even stopping him, running into the woods, using all the chakra he could muster from the boundaries of the collar. Sasuke's heart was torn as he ran, pain in leaving Dusk behind, and pain in the thought that Naruto had tried to take advantage of him. Bitterness rose inside Sasuke's heart again, he wanted nothing to do with the Leaf again, not believing that he actually opened up to him. Sasuke stopped running, finally tired out, leaning against a tree, darkness falling. He could care less, he just wanted to forget the pain he was feeling. Sasuke drew his knees up to his chest, burying his face in them, trying to hold back the sobs. He looked up after a few minutes, feeling that strong chakra again, staring at a dark figure looming over him, everything going black afterwords.

Kakashi didn't bother chasing after Sasuke, his focus was on Naruto. He immediately was at the fox's side, having trouble getting Naruto uncurl out of the little ball. Naruto only giving sobs in response to Kakashi's cooing to get him to uncurl. The masked man finally stopped Kakashi.

"Mr. Hatake, you must go after Sasuke. I fear he may be in trouble. I shall watch over Mr. Uzumaki."

Kakashi looked at the masked man for a while, then ran out, Dusk watching him go. She walked over to the masked man.

"I don't know if Mr. Uchiha will be alright, I'm sorry," he said, finally managing to uncurl Naruto, only to have him curl back up. Dusk watched Naruto, her ears dropping, she already missed Sasuke.

Kakashi searched everywhere, not seeing anything, but a small puddle of blood where Sasuke once was, no trail, just a puddle. He finally sensed the traces of the chakra, his eyes widening. This was bad, this was very, very bad.

XXX

Sabbia: Yay! Done with this one!

Naruto: Man I'm a jerk.

Sasuke: -ignores-

Naruto: Please talk to me!

Sasuke: -keeps ignoring-

Kakashi: R&R people!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"Talking"

_Thinking_

XXX

Pain. Pain was all Sasuke felt. He never screamed though, screaming made it worse. He learned to only let his suffering come out in silent tears. Meals came once every two days. It was hard at first, Sasuke felt nausea from lack of food, but he soon got over it, surviving on bugs and rodents that wandered into his dark cell. Very little light got in, the only bit that did was from a crack in the wall, so Sasuke could measure out the days as they passed. He didn't move much, actually, he never moved unless he had to. He laid there on his side, barely sleeping in fear that he would be asleep when his beatings began. But he was occupied with something.

He was scratching the ground, he had been for the past five hours. His nail had worn down to the point where it bled every now and then, so he switched fingers. Once he finished scratching, he looking at his work with half-lidded eyes. He slowly counted, having to start over, his brain refusing to work properly, but he finally managed to count the tally marks.

5, 10, 15, 20, 21. 21 days. 3 weeks he had been locked in the cell. It was a big cell, there was even a bed in the corner, but Sasuke didn't use it. He liked the floor better. It was easier to catch the rodents when he was on the ground.

Sasuke felt a sense of dread when he heard keys rattle, then the large metal door open, guards coming in, followed by an unfamiliar man. These were the men that beat him every day. That chakra. Sasuke's eyes widened a little, but barely, they quickly went back to being emotionless. He didn't want to move, he couldn't.

"How are you faring, Sasuke?" The man asked, looking down at him, Sasuke staring back up at the man's red eyes.

"I am sorry how you're being treated, but I promise, soon you'll be living a life of luxury, as soon as I finish something." The man knelled down and took out a small knife, noticing Sasuke's eyes followed it, but still no emotion were in the black eyes. The man smirked, seems his men did a good job on Sasuke, his mind would soon be perfect for bending and twisting.

"Hold still for a moment, then who knows, you might want to get up and move some," the man chuckled, putting the knife in the lock of the collar around Sasuke's neck. Sasuke heard the click of the collar, opening his eyes again, he just wanted to sleep now, tired after staying up for the past several nights. The man removed the collar, Sasuke feeling his chakra coming back, but he still didn't want to move. The tips of his fingers twitched, but other than that he didn't do anything but just close his eyes, his breath becoming more shallow and even as he began to sleep. The man smirked, standing up.

"Beat him," he said, walking out of the room, the guards giving a small bow.

"Yes, Madara."

Sasuke bit back his yelp as he woke up to a kicking in his stomach, so it was happening again. He dealt with the painful blows he received, curling into a small ball to try and cover most of himself from the pain, but nothing worked, it always got worse. The pain stopped as the guards left laughing, locking the door. Sasuke closed his eyes, feeling them burn in the need of sleep. But before Sasuke went to sleep, began to scratch another tally mark in the ground, stopping half way before he passed out. Not even waking up when the door opened, the guards picking him up and dragging him out of the cell.

The next time Sasuke opened his eyes, he was in some place that looked like a lab. He began to have flashbacks of when he was with Orochimaru, minus the pillow that his head was resting against and a soft patting against his scratches. He looked at the person cleaning his wounds, knowing he should try and run, bur some question burned in his mind that needed to be answered.

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Sasuke said, barely above a whisper. Madara looked at him, smiling before going back to cleaning the wounds.

"Yes. But it's hard to kill me you know, like it's hard to kill you. We're survivors."

Sasuke went quiet again, staring up at the bright lights in the room, his eyes threatening to slip close in sleep. Madara kept wiping off the wounds, taking out a needle as he very carefully injected it into one of the scratches, smirking. The medicines were specially made that he was using. He watched Sasuke for a minute, seeing the black eyes fog over at the effects at one of the medicines, then slip close. Madara's smirk grew, the medicine was meant to make Sasuke feel good while he worked, it was important that his young relative didn't feel the pain. After all, many infections were festering in the wounds Sasuke had all over his body, it would take Madara a while to remove any threat to Sasuke's life. Obito was gone, dead with the war by Kakashi's hand thanks to the help of Naruto. Sasuke was the only one left Madara could manipulate that shared his blood line. Although, Madara had to admit, he always did want to be like a father in a way, that was the reason why he took in Obito and Sasuke. Even though Sasuke's mind would be harder to manipulate than Obito.

After several hours of cutting away infected flesh and wrapping up the wounds, Madara finally finished, washing his hands of the blood. Sasuke even began to stir, his eyes opening every now and then only to close. Madara sighed as he called the guards in to take Sasuke to his new holding cell, much nicer than the other one of course, but still a cell. There was no where else he could keep Sasuke currently.

Sasuke woke up several hours later, laying on a very hard mattress covered in pure white blankets. The walls were white as well as the floor, light was flooding in through a window covered in thin white curtains. Sasuke blinked but stayed where he was, tempted to crawl onto the floor and curl up there. He didn't he stayed where he was, closing his eyes again, a soft sob coming through him. He wanted to be free, he even wanted to see Naruto again. But he really wanted Dusk back. He was confused, hungry, scared...he had been for the past 3 weeks. He wanted to go home, wherever home was. He curled back up, hearing keys again and the door opening. He tensed, seeing the same guards that had beat him and starved him for the past three weeks. Madara came in behind them, smiling at Sasuke, seeing no emotion returned.

"How are you feeling, Sasuke? Any better?" Madara asked, shinning a light in Sasuke's eyes, seeing the pupil grow smaller. "You seem to be doing much better." Madara watched Sasuke's actions. He knew that Orochimaru was after Sasuke as well. There was a lot of competition for the raven, but Madara had him in his grasp now. If only he could twist Sasuke's belief like he twisted Obito's. It would be easier than Obito was. Sasuke barely had anyone he cared about.

Sasuke gave a small groan as he was forced to roll over onto his back. Having his wounds checked. He gave a small sigh as water was forced down his throat, feeling the leathery feeling disappear that had been gathering in his mouth for a long time. He shut his eyes as Madara opened the curtains, smiling at Sasuke.

"Sunlight might be good for you. Maybe it will cheer you up." Sasuke watched Madara and the men leave. Once he heard the door lock, Sasuke crawled onto the floor, curling up. He was hungry, maybe he could be lucky and find a rodent crawl across the floor? Sasuke's eyes shut, he forgot about hunger and fell asleep, no longer able to stay awake, he was to weak to do anything else. The sleep was a light one, Sasuke waking up to every little noise he heard, finally being able to catch a rat or two, eating as fast as he could so he wouldn't taste, or see what he was eating. He spit out a small bone, rolling over so he didn't have to look at the remains, it made him sick. Sasuke actually wanted the food Naruto made him, missing it. He missed the warmth he received from Naruto and Kakashi, the showers, soft beds, food whenever he wanted, fresh air, clean clothes. Sasuke missed it all. But he really wanted to see Dusk again, missing the cat. She had become like family to him.

Fear welled up inside Sasuke when he heard the door unlocking and finally it opening. He looked up at Madara, seeing the smirk and the red eyes peering down at him.

"Time to get up, Sasuke, we have some work to do," Madara said, the two men that had become Sasuke's personal tortures picking him up and forcing him to stand. Madara left the room, Sasuke being forced to follow, being shoved roughly when he slowed down. They finally arrived at a room, Sasuke having to sit on a medical table while Madara messed around with something, glancing back at Sasuke every now and then.

"You seem tired, Sasuke. Need to take a nap?" Madara asked, walking over to Sasuke, wiping part of the pale, but dirty arm with a swab of alcohol before pushing a needle in.

"This will help you sleep for a few hours."

Sasuke watched as Madara wiped away some blood that come out from where the needle punctured. But he didn't care. He didn't even resist when Madara made him lay down on the medical table, waiting for him to fall asleep. It didn't take long, Sasuke's body refused to fight against the medicine. Actually, Sasuke's immune system had gotten to weak Madara had to start injecting him with antibodies and vitamins. Madara couldn't have Sasuke dying on him, not so soon, anyway.

Madara began to work, very carefully unwrapping the wounds, replacing the bandages. Madara was happy to see that the way the tissue was healing, it would leave no scar on Sasuke's skin. Minutes turned into hours while Madara was taking blood samples and other things from Sasuke, checking the health of the raven to make sure he wouldn't die any time soon.

XXX

Sasuke finished scratching more tally marks into the floor, having to repeat until he had 21, then continued to keep track of the days. He counted them again for the fifth time that day. 35. 35 days he had been captive. He had begun to worry that maybe Naruto and Kakashi didn't care, that they didn't want to help him escape. It wouldn't surprise Sasuke, nothing did anymore. He just thought that no one cared, no one ever had. Sasuke's eyes slipped close, it had been getting harder for him to stay awake. It was hard to even eat, move, and breath, he wanted to slip away, to die, to be free of his torment. But death never came. Whenever it seemed Sasuke could reach out and touch death, Madara always pulled him back, kept his alive. Sasuke was beginning to think he was Madara's entertainment, seeing him surfer was enjoyable to the older Uchiha.

Either way, Sasuke had given up. He no longer tried to catch the rodents that managed to wander to him, they instead ate the food that was given to him once every two days, then wandered off somewhere. Sasuke had no more will to live. If breaking Sasuke was what Madara wanted to do, he did it. Something that the Leaf village couldn't even do within a whole year, Madara did in a matter of only 35 days. Sasuke eyes opened at a sound he heard, it was different from the other sounds. He brushed it off and let his eyes close again as he continued laying on the floor in the same fetal position as before. The sound came again, closer this time. Sasuke opened his eyes and listened, his eyes going to his door when a very loud bang came from it. Sasuke watched the door, the loud noise starting to hurt his ears. But Sasuke didn't go to cover his ears, he didn't care. Finally the noise stopped and Sasuke closed his eyes, listening again as he heard yells, as if a fight was going on.

The banging on the door started again as other noised echoed through the rest of the place, making Sasuke wonder what was happening. He finally let his eyes open half way to watch as the door flew open, seeing Naruto looking at him with wide eyes. There were no words exchanged, only Naruto pulling Sasuke close to him and sobbing quietly. Sasuke felt the warmth form Naruto flood over him, making his cold, near lifeless body warm up. Naruto pulled Sasuke closer so he could pick him up gently, quickly leaving while Kakashi and the masked man fought Madara.

Tsunade refused to let Sasuke come back to the village that day. Not because she was angry at him, but she figured Sasuke didn't want to be back in the Leaf being surrounded by a lot of people after what he went through. So they stayed at the cabin, the Rain village now patrolling double in the area, working with the Leaf. No one wanted Madara around.

A few days passed and Sasuke was bathed, fed, and healed, but nothing could get him to talk. He was silent, always staring at the ground, not even Dusk could get him to react to the world. Sasuke had become detached from reality, he was still living in fear and loneliness in his mind, he didn't even know he wasn't alone anymore. No matter that Tsunade tried, Sasuke never broke out of the depressed trance. So she left it up to Naruto and Kakashi to fix Sasuke.

"Do you think he'll ever get better, Kakashi?" Naruto asked, looking at Sasuke. The raven was sitting on one of the couches, the last place Naruto and Kakashi put him. Sasuke did nothing but stare at the ground, Dusk meowing at him constantly, trying to get him to snap out of it. Nothing worked. Not even splashing him with cold water.

"I don't know, Naruto. What ever Madara did to him was enough to cause this. I never thought I would see him this way. Sasuke's will is usually to strong to break."

"I just want him to get better," Naruto mumbled, walking over to Sasuke to try and coo him into reacting in any fashion. Kakashi watched, leaving the room after a few minutes, not able to handle anymore. Naruto kept trying to pull Sasuke back into reality, but nothing worked. Naruto gave a deep sigh, pulling Sasuke to him as Naruto laid down on the couch, he could at least offer warmth to Sasuke's cold body. After a while, Naruto began to drift off, waking up when he felt Sasuke move. Naruto swallowed hard, looking down at Sasuke, the raven and rolled over onto his other side, his back facing Naruto, but Sasuke gave no intent to move away from Naruto.

Naruto watched Sasuke for a little longer, pulling Sasuke's back closer to his chest, burying his face in the black hair. It had returned to it's normal softness after Naruto and Kakashi cleaned Sasuke up, the hair shining again with luster and health. Of course, Sasuke didn't show any life, not recently, anyway. He remained lifeless and emotionless, nothing but a shell of the person he used to be. It drove Naruto to madness, he wanted Sasuke back.

Kakashi and Tsunade had decided that Sasuke was simply trying to sort his thoughts about what had happened to him. The torture was worse than it was when he was at the Leaf, so thus it would take Sasuke longer to realize that he was OK after it all had ended.

"Sasuke," Naruto mumbled into the black hair, pulling Sasuke closer to him. "Please, please come back. Be your old self. I don't even care if you hate me, just please get better." Sasuke's eyes opened when he heard his name being uttered and a voice speaking to him, a little bit of remembrance flashed in his eyes before he closed them again. He just wanted to rest in the warmth.

The next day, Sasuke woke up before anyone else, taking a quick shower and getting dressed, looking down at Dusk when the cat meowed at him for breakfast. He blinked and continued to stare at her, wondering who she was. Finally Sasuke figured out she was hungry and filled her bowl setting it down, walking into the other room, looking around. Dusk's ears dropped, he didn't wait until she was done like he used to. She ate quickly and followed Sasuke, acting like she was his personal protector. Sasuke kept wandering around the house until he got bored, wondering what was outside. The thought not even occurring to him that his chakra collar was off, he was free.

Dusk followed Sasuke outside, hopping into his lap when he sat on the swing. Thoughts of escape didn't occur to him either. He had food and wasn't beaten, he didn't want to leave that. Sasuke looked next to him, not even jumping when he saw the masked man sitting by him.

"Hello, Mr. Uchiha," the masked man said, looking at Sasuke himself, seeing the black eyes go back to watching the tree line.

"Not any better I see?"

Silence.

"...Mr. Uchiha, I beg you to speak, make Mr. Uzumaki and Mr. Hatake happy, please?"

Still silence.

The masked man sighed watching the tree line carefully.

"You know, a long time ago, I remembered my name. But then over the years I forget it, the title that was given to me floating away, like a butterfly in the wind. I had a revelation when I forgot my name. It was that names are just things to classify us, like grades in school, or numbers in society. But people are worth more than a title. So in the end, the title doesn't matter, the only thing that matters, is what's in here," he very carefully touched Sasuke's chest, over his heart, noticing Sasuke looked down at his hand before looking at him. "So remember, Mr. Uchiha, it's not the name that matters, it's what you do with it. Thus, what you do with yourself, in your heart, makes you, you. And no amount of torture or pain will change who you are. Somewhere in this sad, lonely shell is the real you, Mr. Uchiha. Sasuke Uchiha, the person that no matter how hard the Leaf Village tries, can break."

He stopped and put his hands back in his lap, feeling Sasuke's eyes on him before Sasuke went back to looking at the trees. Dusk's ears perked up with the masked man's, listening intently when Sasuke's soft, quiet voice came.

"Nothing can break me?" He asked, continuing to stare at the trees. "That's a lie, everyone can be broken..."

"True, but even breaks heal, Mr. Uchiha. Even breaks heal." With that the masked man disappeared, leaving Sasuke alone with Dusk on the swing. Sasuke looked when the door to the house opened with force, Naruto's eyes wide with shock when he saw Sasuke sitting there.

"Sasuke!" Naruto said, running to the raven only to hug him hard. "I was so worried!"

"Worried?"

Naruto froze, looking at Sasuke with shocked eyes.

"Did...did you just talk?"

"Yeah..."

Naruto's face broke with a giant grin as he hugged Sasuke tighter. Dusk was happy, meowing up at Sasuke, at least he was speaking. They went inside, Naruto making breakfast while Sasuke was laying on the couch, Dusk curled up on top of him. Kakashi came up from the basement, looking at Sasuke.

"You feeling any better?" He asked, about to walk into the kitchen, not expecting a response.

"A little," Sasuke mumbled.

"...Naruto! Sasuke talked!" Kakashi yelled into the kitchen, Naruto poking his head out of it.

"I know, it's great! Now get in here and help me cook breakfast."

Kakashi and Naruto talked about Sasuke and how to get him to come out of his shell more. They refused to let Tsunade give Sasuke another chakra collar, thinking that Sasuke didn't need one anymore. Once breakfast was done, they called Sasuke into the kitchen, watching him eat quickly.

"Thanks," Sasuke mumbled before he placed his dishes in the sink, walking back into the room with the TV, putting in another movie.

_"Naruto, let me out,"_ Kyuubi growled to Naruto.

_Hell no, not after what you did to Sasuke._

_ "You need to let me out. I think I remember...I think I remember the masked man's name."_

Naruto looked to Kakashi, going down to the basement with him and into the safety room, closing his eyes so Kyuubi could take over.

"Well?" Kakashi asked, having to keep himself from hitting the demon.

"Is he here?"

"I'm always here, Kyuubi," The masked man said, making Kakashi jump again and stare at him. The masked man was petting a turtle he held in his arms.

"What's with the turtle?" Kakashi asked, staring at the shelled animal.

"I was lonely and I came across this creature. He is good company. A good listener."

"Right..." Kyuubi mumbled, looking at the masked man oddly.

"Well, Kyuubi? Have you remembered my name?"

"Yeah, I think I do...will you recognize it?"

"Most likely."

"...I thought about it for a while. Then I remembered something. A long time ago, before grandpa died, I said your name when I fell and hurt myself. You came running to care for me..." Kyuubi looked down as if in thought then back at the masked man, Kakashi listening intently.

"Is it Ego**?"

The masked man stared back at Kyuubi, tilting his head to one side and stopped petting the turtle, but still holding it.

"Ego...yes...yes!" He said, suddenly a happy air filled the room. "Kyuubi, my dear Kyuubi, you have remembered!"

Kakashi gave a small smile from under his mask, going back upstairs to give the two an emotional moment. He needed to spend some time with Sasuke anyway. Kakashi sat down in the arm chair next to the couch, looking at the movie screen with Sasuke, seeing a woman getting her organs ripped out.

"Does this not bother you?" He asked, looking at Sasuke, seeing a small shrug.

"It bugs me if I see it in person, but not on a TV screen." Dusk meowed at Kakashi, cuddling close to Sasuke, giving a loud purr feeling Sasuke pet her. They talked for a while, Sasuke growing tired after a while and going upstairs, Dusk in his arms. Naruto was up there already, hearing Sasuke come up the stairs he rushed out to hug the raven.

"Sasuke," Naruto mumbled into Sasuke's shoulder. "Feeling any better?"

"Yeah."

Naruto smiled at Sasuke, running a thumb over the pale cheek, looking into the black eyes before he leaned forward to very gently kiss Sasuke, pulling back and giving another smile.

"I'm glad."

"Naruto," Sasuke mumbled, looking at Naruto, his eyes very tired, almost like he was going to pass out.

"Yeah?"

"I don't want to be cold tonight..."

Naruto looked at Sasuke and smiled, hugging the raven tightly again.

"You don't have to be."

Kakashi went upstairs an hour or two later to check on Naruto and Sasuke, finding the turtle the masked man had, or the turtle that Ego had, crawling along the floor, looking up at Kakashi while he picked the turtle up, going to take it back outside, but first he looked in Naruto's room, not seeing him. Kakashi's brow crinkled, he went to check on Sasuke, When he peeked into the room, his heart fluttered as he smiled. Sasuke was curled up to Naruto, Dusk sleeping on her pillow right next to Sasuke's head. The blond fox was sleeping happily, arms around Sasuke.

Kakashi's smile grew as he went downstairs and put the turtle on the front porch then closed the door, locking it. But his smile faded. Madara escaped. He was still out there somewhere with Orochimaru, they had to be even more vigilant than ever. The boundary outside was reinforced, only recognized to very certain chakra. Hopefully, no one would get in.

XXX

**Ego: In a healthy person, the 'I' is strong enough to balance the Id and the Superego.

This is from Sigmund Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory of the Id, Ego, and the Superego. The Ego was the reality principle. It planned for the future. It was the decider and balance between Id (the little devil on your shoulder), and the Superego (the little angel on your shoulder.) The masked man is supposed to be a balance and a helper for everyone's life in the story.

Sabbia: Done!

Sasuke: Can I go back to bed now?

Naruto: Want to cuddle, Sasuke?

Sasuke: No.

Ego: R&R people! -pets turtle-


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"Talking"

_Thinking_

XXX

Cold. Naruto noticed that cold was all Sasuke was. The raven letting out violent shivers every now and then. But Naruto also noticed that Sasuke only gave minor shivers when they were cuddling. Sasuke gave another shiver, Naruto pulling a blanket over them, the raven cuddling into Naruto's shirt more.

"Still cold?" Naruto asked softly, rubbing Sasuke's back, seeing the black-haired man nod.

"Yeah..."

Naruto gave a deep sigh, pulling Sasuke closer to him when Kakashi walked into the room, looking at Naruto. Naruto shook his head, telling Kakashi silently that Sasuke wasn't any better. Kakashi's shoulders dropped but he went about his business. Sasuke opened his eyes, looking down at the turtle Ego had become very fond of, a small collar around the wrinkly neck. Sasuke remembered that Ego called the turtle Id. Weird name for a turtle. Either way, the shelled creature had become part of the family. Dusk seemed to like the turtle. Currently she was riding on its back, chin raised like a queen. The turtle was large enough to carry a full grown Main Coon on his back. Of course, it wasn't very fast.

Sasuke stopped watching the turtle crawl along the floor and closed his eyes again, feeling Naruto move a little. Naruto's legs and lap were falling asleep, he had been in the same position for several hours. Naruto really wanted nothing more than to get up and move around a bit.

"Uh, Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

"Can I please get up and walk around? I can't feel my legs..." Sasuke moved off of Naruto, curling up alone on the couch underneath the blanket. Naruto stretched, smiling down at Sasuke who remained curled up in a ball, shivering again, making Naruto's smile fade.

"Naruto," Kakashi said, walking over to him. "You have a mission today. You'll be helping me with recon." Naruto looked at Kakashi, then at Sasuke.

"Will that be OK, Sasuke? For me to leave?"

"It's fine by me...just come back before dark?" Sasuke asked, looking up at Kakashi and Naruto.

"One of us will be back by dark," Kakashi said, smiling at Sasuke. "I'll try to make sure it will be Naruto."

After a few more minutes, and Naruto gently kissing Sasuke good-bye, they left. Making sure all doors and windows were locked before they departed. Kakashi told Sasuke he could go outside, but could only be on the swing. And that Ego needed to be outside with him. The masked man proved very helpful when it came to making the barrier. They even asked Killer Bee to try and get in, the barrier blew him 20 feet back. Then again, ego had been preoccupied with his turtle, cleaning the shell and painting the nails an unholy shade of pink that Sasuke annoyingly was washing off at the moment, still giving shivers. He didn't know why Ego felt the need to paint the poor turtle's nails.

Dusk was once again riding on Id's back after the nails were cleaned, Sasuke watching with bored eyes as he walked around the house, until he saw something move out of the corner of his eyes. A snake. Sasuke blinked, he didn't know why it was in the house, but it looked harmless, it was just a small thing. He quickly grabbed it by the back of its head, making the mouth open. No fangs.

"What are you doing in here?" Sasuke asked the small animal, letting it crawl across his arms and hands before he set it on the coffee table in the room with the TV, watching it slither around, looking up at him and flickering its tongue out. Dusk was intrigued with the snake, pawing at it and meowing at Sasuke when the snake tried to bite her. Sasuke flicked the snake's nose after Dusk hopped in his lap. No one threatened his cat. The snake hissed out at Sasuke and Dusk, curling up as it's beady black eyes stayed latched onto Sasuke.

"Not going to talk, huh?" Sasuke mumbled, Dusk looking at him like he was insane.

"What? Is it weird for me to talk to a snake? I talk to you don't I?" Sasuke said to Dusk, the cat sneezing at him before she went off to find the turtle. Sasuke watched her go before he looked back at the snake, placing his chin on his hand. How did the snake get on? It didn't bother Sasuke, he was used to snakes, but it was still troubling. The small, scaly creature flicked its tongue out at Sasuke, still watching him carefully. Sasuke sighed and gripped his arms as he gave another shiver, wishing Naruto was here. The snake flickered his tongue out once more before crawling off the table and onto Sasuke's lap, curling up. Sasuke sighed as he stood up, the snake, instead of falling on the floor like Sasuke hoped, literally crawled up Sasuke's body to rest on his shoulder. Sasuke ignored the small creature, it couldn't hurt him anyway.

Sasuke wandered into the kitchen, looking for some food. So he got out to pieces of bread and some jelly and peanut butter. Naruto and Kakashi trusted Sasuke with sharp objects now, mainly only butter knives, but either way. Sasuke finished making the sandwich, biting into it as he glanced at the snake, it was watching him again.

"You're creepy...you know that?" Sasuke sighed, taking the snake off his shoulder and placed it on the counter, walking out of the room, shivering again. He just wanted to be warm, and to have a full stomach. Sasuke finished the sandwich quickly, sitting down on the couch in front of the fire place, Dusk hopping to his lap, meowing up at him urgently.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked, Dusk jumping down and running upstairs, Sasuke already following her. Upstairs, Sasuke was lead into his room, Dusk hissing at an open window. Sasuke's brow crinkled, he didn't remember opening the window. It was already getting chilly even though it was only near the end of August. Sasuke's eyes searched his room before he sighed, no one could get in. If Killer Bee couldn't, then no one could. Sasuke shut the window, making sure it was locked. He stopped and looked back to the window. If Naruto and Kakashi made sure it was locked, then how did it open? Sasuke's eyes narrowed again, the edges of them bleeding red. Without his chakra collar, Sasuke felt a lot safer by himself, but he was still out of practice. Sasuke walked out of his room and down the stairs, deciding not to dwell on the fact the window was open. Dusk looked at him, laying on the couch. Sasuke shrugged, sitting next to her, shivering again.

Several hours later, and after Sasuke decided to mess around with Kakashi's things and re-arrange the furniture, he took a shower and went to bed. Dusk laid down on Sasuke's bare stomach, warming him up. Sasuke smiled down at Dusk, but he moved so he could pull the blankets over him, Dusk hissing a little when she had to move, but she settled with sleeping on his feet. Not much longer, Naruto got back, it was way after dark, but he knew Sasuke would be asleep, the raven had been going to bed earlier for the past few days. Naruto sighed, feeling horrible, he promised Sasuke he would be back before dark, so much for that plan. Either way, Naruto went upstairs, taking a very quick shower, then got into his night clothes, stopping before he put on a shirt. He knew Sasuke wouldn't mind if Naruto slept with him again, but would Sasuke mind if Naruto wasn't wearing a shirt? For the past several weeks, Naruto had worn a shirt to bed, it was getting irritating, but Naruto sucked it up. Naruto sighed and put the shirt up, going to Sasuke's room quickly and crawling into next to him.

"Sasuke?" Naruto mumbled softly, hearing Sasuke hum at him. "Sorry I'm late."

"Do I seemed worried?" Sasuke mumbled back, giving a small smile before he cuddled up to Naruto, giving another shiver. Naruto smiled, hugging Sasuke to him tightly. He felt Sasuke move a little, then settle back down.

"Are you not wearing a shirt?" Sasuke asked.

"Uh..no, I'm not. Want me to go-"

"No, I like it," Sasuke mumbled, placing his head in the crook of Naruto's neck, finally settling down and falling asleep. A small smile crept to Naruto's lips as he shut his eyes.

Morning came slowly, Dusk waking up before Sasuke, but she just walked in a circle before settling back down on Sasuke's feet, her ears twitching at a noise. She raised her head, meowing at Sasuke while walking along his side, finally pawing at Sasuke's face, seeing the black eyes open and land on her.

"What is it, Dusk?" Sasuke asked, listening to her meows. "I'll check on it when I get up, OK?" He said, closing his eyes and moving closer to Naruto, he was warm. Dusk grumbled in whatever way a cat could and decided to try and find the source of the noise herself. She wandered out of the room, leaving Naruto and Sasuke to slumber. Dusk walked down the stairs, seeing Id the turtle eating out of a food bowl Ego left out for him,

"Good morning, Id, how are you?" Dusk asked, the turtle raising his head to look at her.

"I'm doing alright, Dusk, how about you?" He asked, slowly lowering his head to once again chew at the lettuce leaves.

"Worried. I heard a sound."

"It was probably Ego doing something, you know how he's always messing around with random things."

"You're probably right," Dusk sighed, wandering back up stairs, still not feeling right. She hopped onto the bed and curled up on Sasuke's feet again.

About two hours later, Sasuke got up and searched the house, raising an accusing eyebrow at Dusk as he held a hot cup of coffee in his hands, looking down at the cat.

"Well? What's the impending danger?" He asked, Dusk lowering her head in shame. Sasuke smiled and patted her head, walking into the other room, he still wasn't allowed to make breakfast, Kakashi refused to let him. Besides, if Kakashi wanted to make breakfast that morning, that was fine with Sasuke, expect the fact that the white-haired man had left the house about when Sasuke finished searching around, saying he would be right back.

Sasuke watched Dusk meow at Id, the turtle seeming to nod every now and then. It was very interesting.

"Are you just going to sit there watching those two talk?" Naruto asked, sitting next to Sasuke.

"Maybe." Naruto smiled and leaned close to Sasuke, very gently and carefully kissing the pale neck, adding a little tongue. Sasuke tensed quickly then relaxed, he enjoyed it. Naruto moved away and smiled again, he was overjoyed at how open Sasuke was becoming.

"Do you know where Kakashi went?"

"Yesterday he was talking about going out to pick up breakfast, but if he actually will I don't know...I have to go on another mission today, will you be OK here by yourself? You won't be bored, will you?" Naruto asked, watching Sasuke.

"I believe I can manage my boredom," Sasuke said, looking at the main door as it opened. Kakashi came in, carrying a large bag and went into the kitchen.

"Breakfast is here!" he said, Ego coming in right after him carrying another bag, but closed and locked the front door.

"Come on, Id, I got you some fresh food," Ego said, the turtle crawling to Ego as fast as he could go. Sasuke and Naruto went to the kitchen, Sasuke refusing to eat until he fed Dusk, the small cat eating her food beside Id.

After breakfast was over, Naruto and Kakashi left, Sasuke watching a movie with Dusk sitting on his lap. Sasuke gave a violent jerk and a yelp, making Dusk jump up. Sasuke immediately grabbed his ankle, looking at it, seeing bite marks, like a snake. It couldn't have been that small snake, it had no fangs. Sasuke sighed, rubbing his eyes, his vision going blurry all of a sudden. Dusk meowed at Sasuke, the raven standing up walking into the next room, having to balance himself before he collapsed, his breathing growing shallow as his eyes slipped closed, Dusk pawing at him to wake up.

XXX

Naruto yawned as he finally came up to the cabin, wanting nothing more than to cuddle with Sasuke. As soon as Naruto opened the door, he shut and locked it, seeing Dusk run up to him, meowing like a mad woman. Naruto looked down at her, before following her to the spot where Sasuke fell, Naruto not seeing anything.

"Hey, Dusk. Mind leading me to Sasuke?" He asked the cat, seeing her hiss and bare her little teeth at him. Naruto raised an eye brow and went up stairs. When he didn't see Sasuke, did he start getting really worried. He even searched downstairs for Sasuke not finding him. Naruto went back up stairs and looked at Dusk.

"Dusk, is he here?"

She shook her head.

"Did he leave?"

Again, she shook her head.

"Was he kidnapped?"

She nodded.

Naruto sat down on the couch, his legs no longer able to support him. He ran a shaking hand through his hair and looked down at Dusk.

"H-how?" He asked, knowing that the barrier was powerful, no one could get in except a select few. How?

Kakashi came in, looking around the house, everything was in ruin. It wasn't until Kakashi felt Naruto's chakra pressure did he realize that Naruto was the one that caused the destruction. Kakashi shut the door and rushed upstairs, finding Naruto tearing his room to pieces. After finally managing to pin Naruto to the floor, Kakashi digging his knee into Naruto's back, keeping the head pinned to the floor, holding the hands behind Naruto's back.

"Naruto! What's wrong? Talk to me!" Kakashi said to him, seeing the bright red eyes fill with tears, slowly turning back to blue.

"He's gone...someone took him. I wasn't here to stop them," Naruto mumbled, tears coming out of his eyes. Kakashi looked down at Naruto, just as shocked. How could someone have kidnapped Sasuke? With the barrier up and without Sasuke's chakra restricted? Kakashi let Naruto up, having to force him to stand.

"Naruto, calm down, we'll find him, I promise."

XXX

Sabbia: I know it's short but Thanksgiving Dinner has gotten me lazy.

Sasuke: What is with you having me kidnapped?

Sabbia: So I can take all my anger out on you.

Naruto: When the hell is that lemon coming? That's what I want to know.

Sabbia: Soon, Naruto, soon.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"Talking"

_Thinking_

Note: Due to some content in this chapter, a section is sectioned off as "Horror". If you don't like the thought of someone being cut open and having their insides poked, then skip that part. Even if it's not scary or disgusting, better safe than sorry. It is short however.

XXX

"LET ME GO!" Sasuke yelled at the top of his lungs, struggling against his bonds. He arched his back violently, trying to get the straps of leather around his wrist and ankles to loosen. He tried using his chakra, feeling a shock given to him from the metal table he was laying again. But did that discourage Sasuke? Of course not. Even Sasuke knew he had grown soft when he was with Naruto and Kakashi, but like hell he was going to let someone kidnap him and not have a hard time. When it was Madara, Sasuke was just depressed, but now? No, he was fine, just extremely pissed off.

"Now, now, Sasuke-kun. Stop that struggling, you'll just end up electrocuting yourself," Orochimaru chuckled, running a thumb across Sasuke's cheek, drawing his hand back quickly when Sasuke's teeth snapped at him, a deep growl coming form the raven. Red began to bleed into Sasuke's eyes until he received another shock, slumping against the table, shaking his head, getting rid of the shock, and continued his struggling.

"Let me go!" Sasuke yelled again, growling as he kicked out against the bonds. Orochimaru smirked and watched.

"You shouldn't have brought me back to life, Sasuke-kun. That was a very bad choice."

"I was feeling generous that day. Unlike today. So as soon as I get out of these damn bonds I'm kicking your ass!" Sasuke growled out, watching as Orochimaru 'hmed' at him and began to work on something. Sasuke flinched when he saw a familiar tube, dread coming to his heart as his adrenaline was working double time. He kicked out again until Orochimaru forced the tube a ways down his esophagus. Orochimaru smiled at Sasuke when the raven tried to cough it up, struggling more as tears gathered in his eyes, trying to fight the pain and his gag reflex. It got worse, Sasuke felt the fluid flow down his throat when Orochimaru flipped a switch. Pain was eliminated from what Sasuke was feeling, but that wasn't what Sasuke was dreading. Pain was gone, but with it, Sasuke would remain conscious. The tube was ripped out not-so-gently, Sasuke coughing. Orochimaru smiled at Sasuke as he turned on another switched, Sasuke feeling his chakra being restricted, Sasuke glanced at his bonds, he remembered now that they were chakra constrictors.

"Oh, so you remember then," Orochimaru chuckled, taking out a medical knife, making sure Sasuke saw the glint of the sharp metal. Sasuke's eyes widened, fear rose in his heart. He had been here once, but that was only when he disobeyed Orochimaru in killing an innocent worker. Sasuke tensed, when Orochimaru lifted his shirt, marking with a black pen, a square on his stomach.

"Right here seems good, don't you think, Sasuke?" Orochimaru chuckled, smiling at him.

"Fuck you," Sasuke growled. Orochimaru chuckled and cut Sasuke's shirt off, the fabric would just get in his way.

"Watch now, Sasuke-kun, because if you don't, I'll make you."

XXX Horror Part Starts XXX

Sasuke watched with fear in his eyes as Orochimaru cut a long line down his stomach, blood coming up almost immediately. Sasuke's heart was racing, he couldn't feel the pain, but seeing it made him sick. Orochimaru smirked as he made a few more incisions. He was careful to make sure there was no danger to Sasuke's life. The medicine was to not only to numb his neurotransmitters, but also to make his blood flow slower and to make his red marrow produced more blood. Orochimaru peeled the cut skin back, smirking when he saw the tissues and intestines, looking at Sasuke. This was psychological torture for Sasuke. He couldn't feel the pain, but his mind couldn't comprehend that he wasn't feeling anything, it was making his brain work twice as hard to try and understand what was happening.

Orochimaru decided to test the pain medicine, making sure it was working, so he poked Sasuke's upper large intestines. Seeing no pain on Sasuke's face. The black eyes were closed, Orochimaru knowing his brain was confused. He smiles.

"Sasuke-kun, if you don't watch, then I'll make sure you feel the pain, understand?"

Sasuke opened his eyes again and looked down at him stomach, whining, feeling like he was going to vomit. Sasuke didn't watch, but he kept his eyes open. That was enough to keep Orochimaru pacified. Actually, the torture didn't last as long as Sasuke thought. It seemed like an eternity to him, which in reality it was only three hours. Orochimaru spent most of his time poking around, having fun messing with Sasuke's mind, but he spent the last two hours stitching Sasuke up. Near the end, in the last hour, did the pain medicine disappear. Sasuke whined and gave silent sobs when Orochimaru ran the needle through his skin, it hurt horribly, especially when Orochimaru purposely tugged the sinew to tight, chuckling when Sasuke gave a small yelp. Either way, when the hour was over, Sasuke had lost enough blood to make him dizzy and unwilling to fight back, for now, anyway. Orochimaru smirked.

"Next time, Sasuke-kun, I'll re-arrange your organs, understand me?"

XXX End Horror XXX

Sasuke was locked in a sterilized room, Orochimaru refused to risk infection. He had much more he wanted to do with the raven, to snap that love Sasuke felt for Naruto. But more importantly, to finally take over Sasuke's body. Sasuke sighed deeply as he slowly woke up, having passed out from the blood loss. His stomach was wrapped up, but Sasuke had a shadowing doubt that he wouldn't get away without scars this time. He was tempted to just lay there and sleep, recover his energy. But then that would be to nice to the other people in the building, if there were any. Sasuke got up and began his temper tantrum, beating on the door and trying his best to beat it down, gripping his stomach, he hurt so bad. But did that discourage Sasuke? No, he knew doing what he was doing was very bad in his healing process, but he refused to stop until the room filled with knock-out gas, making Sasuke curse then pass out.

To say frankly, whenever Sasuke woke up, he would once again cause trouble in the room. It was small, but there was enough for Sasuke to work with. He made sure he was an absolute nightmare to everyone that passed by the room. But today was different, today he was glaring at Orochimaru.

"Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun...why must you cause trouble for everyone?"

"Why did you feel the need to kidnap me?" Sasuke retorted, spitting at Orochimaru with what little saliva he had. Sasuke had been deprived of water as punishment for biting the person that had been bringing him food and medicine. Sasuke chuckled at the memory, it was funny, actually. Now he knew why the anbu were sure to muzzle him before they tried to do anything. Orochimaru smirked, at least Sasuke had his spunk, the man was afraid that Sasuke had lost it with his time in the Leaf.

"I think I'll leave you with a present this time, Sasuke, maybe it will pacify you for a while," Orochimaru said, smirking.

"A little early for the holidays, isn't it, Snake-bastard?" Sasuke said idly, almost as if he was bored. Orochimaru's smirk grew. It didn't take long until he had Sasuke screaming. It was a pain that was all to familiar, something Sasuke wished he would never feel again. Orochimaru detached himself from Sasuke's neck, watching as the curse mark reformed on Sasuke's skin. Itachi wasn't around to remove it anymore, Orochimaru had no worries. By the time Kakashi and Naruto found him, Sasuke's body would be his. Sasuke fought pass the pain, gritting his teeth as he glared at Orochimaru. The man just smirked at Sasuke and left the room, making sure the door locked. Sasuke gripped the side of his neck, it hurt so bad, so bad. But did that discourage Sasuke from causing trouble? Yes, it actually did, just a little though.

Three more days, Sasuke had trouble counting how long it had been since he first arrived, no widows and his nails were still to short to scratch anything. Sasuke rolled over on his back in the bed he was given, his neck throbbing. He gave a small whimper, staring up at the ceiling, his brow furrowing. How was he going to escape? The pain made Sasuke shut his eyes, he was still to tired to move, all he wanted to do was sleep. His eyes opened to look at the steel door as it opened, he recognized the person, the one that brought him food, water, and medicine every day.

"Hello there, Mr. Uchiha, you've been much more quiet than usual, do you still hurt?" The person gently touched Sasuke's forehead with a bandaged hand, the one Sasuke bit his first day there.

"How long have I been here?" Sasuke asked, looking at the person, seeing the soft eyes on him.

"About four days, Mr. Uchiha. Open your mouth please?"

Sasuke did as he was told, having medicine poured into his mouth. The person was very nice to him. He studied the old man a second, he wasn't very old, but his eyes were becoming wrinkled. His hair was pure white and his eyes bright blue, he was a very kind person.

"Four days, huh? Hey, old man, what's your name?" Sasuke asked, he never had asked before.

"Lance, Mr. Uchiha, just Lance. Are you hungry?"

"No, not now..."

"I suggest you eat, Mr. Uchiha, it will help you to recover."

Sasuke looked at Lance, seeing a wrinkled, kind smile beaming at him. Actually, Sasuke couldn't help a smile himself, it was small though.

"Alright, I'll see what I can force down," Sasuke said, sitting up slowly, the pain receding from the medicine the old man gave him. Sasuke ate the food Lance brought him slowly, watching the old man.

"Hey, Lance, what are you doing here?"

"Hm? Oh, I don't know, Mr. Uchiha. I don't know why I'm here."

"Then, why do you stay?"

"I have no where else to go, Mr. Uchiha." Sasuke looked at Lance seriously, there was something similar about this man, but he couldn't tell. Except one thing: he had absolutely no chakra.

"Lance, do you know someone by the name of Ego? Fox mask, never takes it off, really weird."

Lance seemed to ponder, sitting on the edge of Sasuke bed while Sasuke finished eating the small bowl of rice. The old man chewed the inside of his lip, as if thinking.

"The name sounds familiar. But, my memory was never the best in the first place, Mr. Uchiha."

"Hey, Lance, Sasuke is fine. Not that Mr. Uchiha crap."

"Oh, but on the contrary, Mr. Uchiha, I don't know you well enough yet."

Sasuke chuckled a little, watching as Lance stood up to leave, turning around before he pushed the rolling tray out.

"Mr. Uchiha, do not fret, your friends are on their way."

"What makes you think that?"

"A little fox told me so. They should be here in the next week or two."

Sasuke watched him leave, his eyes narrowing. How would Lance know how close Naruto and Kakashi were? A little fox? Sasuke just laid down again, staring up at the ceiling, glad the pain was at bay. He knew Orochimaru wouldn't keep him cooped up in here, after all, Sasuke's muscles would grow weak. Either way, Sasuke's eyes closed, he needed to get his energy up if he was to launch an escape plan at some point. But something was still worrying him, his eyes opened, the mark burning, but it wasn't painful. Sasuke gripped it. Not the dreams again, he hated those. He tried to ignore the burning, occupying himself another way, like making a fort with his pillow, bed, and blankets. Anything worked to keep the dreams at bay.

So there he was, hiding in his man-made fort as he messed around with his growing back fingernails, hearing the door open.

"My, my, such childish activities, Sasuke-kun, I'm actually shocked at you," Orochimaru's smooth voice said, he leaned against a wall, watching the fort with a smile, seeing Sasuke poke his head out.

"Sorry, no snake-bastards aloud, or girls," Sasuke said before disappearing back into his little fort, moving a blanket to hide the only entrance.

"Heh, you never liked girls much did you, Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru chuckled, not hearing anything come from the fort. "I bet you anything that you like Naruto-kun, don't you?"

Again nothing.

"You know, I'll let you out of this room if you come out of that fort."

"Yeah, you want me to cum out in more ways than one," Sasuke replied.

"That may be so," Orochimaru said, noticing the blankets moving a little as Sasuke came out, stretching.

"If I come back here, and that fort is destroyed, I swear to whatever god you believe in I will bite off your arms," Sasuke said, following Orochimaru out of the room and through the twisting halls.

"Why are you so nervous, Sasuke-kun? You've behaved yourself quite well since your last punishment, you have nothing to be worried about. This is a reward, actually," Orochimaru said, looking at Sasuke as they walked, seeing the black eyes land on him.

"Let's just say I'm not comfortable being around you."

"You would be comfortable with, Naruto, am I right? The way you cuddle up to him as if your a lap-dog?"

Orochimaru's smirk grew when he saw the intense glare land on him, oh yes, Sasuke didn't lose his spunk at all. They kept walking until they reached a large room, a very large room. Sasuke gave a whistle.

"Damn, this is one Brobdingnagian room," Sasuke said, Orochimaru looking at him.

"Brobdingnagian?"

"It's a real word, I swear," Sasuke said, raising his hands in defense, twitching as the burning sensation started again, the dreams trying to take over.

"Ah, what you call, "the dreams"...really just the mark trying to take over your mind, get you to surrender to the power it offers you. Go on, Sasuke, let them take over, listen to the mark," Orochimaru cooed, walking around Sasuke in circles like a hungry vulture. Sasuke growled and fought back, thinking of everything he could to keep the dreams away, glaring at Orochimaru, watching him like wary prey.

"You must be an idiot if you think I'm going to let you win," Sasuke hissed at the pale man. "If you think I'll just let you take me over and make me your fucking toy."

"Like you let Naruto do to you?" Orochimaru's smirk grew as he saw Sasuke's eyes light up in anger.

"I am _no one's_ play toy," Sasuke hissed out, glaring at Orochimaru, his chakra coursing faster through his body as his blood began to boil. Anger, getting the chakra and blood flowing as one. That was the trick to the dreams, making them stronger, Orochimaru knew this, but Sasuke didn't.

Sasuke gripped his head, trying to fight back against he mark and the whispers in his ears.

"Go away, go away!" He growled at himself, Orochimaru smirking as he watched with interested eyes, he always wondered how Sasuke fought against the mark, no he could see it in person. Sasuke shook his head, glaring at Orochimaru with pure rage.

"I want to go back to my cell," he growled, Orochimaru just chuckled.

"No, not now, Sasuke-kun, not when things are getting so interesting." Orochimaru stood up and walked close to Sasuke, leaning close enough his breath ran over Sasuke's ear and over the curse mark.

"I want to study you further, find your weak points," Orochimaru chuckled softly into Sasuke's ear, hearing a warning growl come from the pale throat. "Oh, please calm down, Sasuke-kun."

"Get away from me," Sasuke said, trying to move away, only to be pulled back by Orochimaru holding his arms. Sasuke struggled, only to be held tighter, the grip hurting his arms. Orochimaru gently placed his lips on the mark, hearing a hiss of pain come from Sasuke as it activated. Sasuke tensed, almost falling if Orochimaru didn't hold him against his chest as the mark spread. Sasuke gave a violent growl of pain, shutting his eyes tight, trying to force the spreading mark back.

"Come now, Sasuke-kun, it will hurt less if you stop fighting it, just let go, relax," Orochimaru mumbled softly to him, his cooing not working. Sasuke gritted his teeth, but nothing could make the mark stop, or the pain. Orochimaru smirked as the mark spread all over Sasuke's body, making his black eyes turn yellow. Sasuke gave a violent lurch before giving a loud whimper of pain, still trying to fight back against the spreading mark.

Orochimaru's smirk grew when Sasuke went limp in his arms, but not unconscious. No, Sasuke was still awake, he just stopped fighting back, trying to get the pain to disappear. Once he stopped struggling against it, the pain receded into nothing but that burning sensations with the voices whispering softly in his ears.

"Good boy, such a good boy," Orochimaru chuckled, before Sasuke fell asleep. The man had waited, holding Sasuke until some guards could come to take him back to his room. Lance watched with sad eyes as the guards brought Sasuke in, the mark still having yet to recede. Lance had made Sasuke's bed back up, making it more comfortable by bringing in more pillows and blankets. The guards laid Sasuke down on the bed, leaving the rest to Lance, then left quickly, closing the door.

"Oh dear, Mr. Uchiha..." lance mumbled, carefully removing Sasuke's shirt so he could replace the bandages around the pale stomach. Lance looked at the closed wounds on the stomach, he did give a small smile as he ran his finger over every one of the marks, the soon-to-be-scars disappearing.

"I may not have chakra, Mr. Uchiha, but I do have a few tricks up my sleeves, you'll feel much better by tomorrow," Lance said as he threw away the old bandages, pulling the fresh covers over Sasuke's body. Sasuke gave a small groan as he moved a little to get more comfortable, the curse mark finally receding.

XXX

Sabbia: Short chapter is short.

Sasuke: Sabbia here has decided to make a role play site, so that's been eating up her time for writing.

Naruto: Also fact you have exams coming up...

Sabbia: Shut up! I've been studying...some...

Sasuke: R&R people!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"Talking"

_Thinking_

XXX

Sasuke growled as he punched the guard that came into his room. Apparently they were ordered to take Sasuke to Orochimaru, but the raven was not making it easy.

"Leave me ALONE!" Sasuke yelled at them, slamming the steel door shut. Lance watched with interested eyes as Sasuke kept growling, pacing around the room. Lance was sitting on the bed, his arms crossed, he was wondering if he should say something to Sasuke, but decided against it.

"Uchiha, Lord Orochimaru wants you in his quarters immediately, please don't make this harder than it has to be!" One of the guards outside pleaded, ready to open the door, the others getting ready to grab Sasuke.

"Leave me alone!" Sasuke yelled at them again, stopping his pacing to glare at the door. He grabbed his neck and gave a small hiss, it hurt so bad, and the voices wouldn't go away. His dreams last night were filled with the voices, nothing but. He just wanted to think, to be alone with his thoughts. He looked over at Lance who gave a small shrug and a comforting smile. Lance...the guy seemed to much like Ego, except all to different.

The door came open with a swing, three of the guards rushing to Sasuke and grabbing him, pinning him to the wall. Sasuke kicked out violently, biting one of the guards on the arm, not letting go. Lance watched as they tied a cloth around Sasuke's mouth to keep him from biting anymore and tied his arms behind his back, forcing him to walk out of the room quickly. Sasuke kept struggling as he walked, being pushed a few times, he was determined to make everything as difficult as possible. His black eyes narrowed, red bleeding into them as they came to the door that lead into Orochimaru's quarters. The guards opened the door, only two going in to throw Sasuke on the floor, tying his feet together before they left quickly. Sasuke blinked several times, trying to adjust his eyes to the dimness of the room. He looked around, seeing book cases towering high, several desk covered in jars and tubes, open books and spread out papers. He turned his head, seeing several chairs, and a snake crawling towards him.

Sasuke gave a growl, unable to tell the snake to get away from him any other way. The creature ignored him, flicking its tongue at him, the small pink object touching Sasuke's cheek. Sasuke gave another growl, the snake once again ignoring him and crawling on him. The snake went under Sasuke's shirt, making Sasuke shiver as the cold scales brushed against his skin. The snake came out of his shirt, now at the rim of his pants, the scaled animal crawled over Sasuke's legs, then onto the floor, back to his face. It flicked its tongue out again, touching his cheek. Sasuke twitched violently, making the snake rear back and bite his collar bone, Sasuke biting back a pain filled groan.

Sasuke groaned after a few minutes, the poison taking effect. He rolled onto his back, then onto his other side, curling up as much as he could. A small bead of sweat ran down Sasuke's face as his eyes closed, another soft groan coming from his throat. His eyes opened half way when he heard a deep chuckle.

"Don't worry, Sasuke-kun, the venom won't kill you, it has another special affect," Orochimaru said, kneeling down next to Sasuke, touching the pale cheek. Sasuke gave a half-hearted growl, trying to move away. His eyes closed again as he moved a little more, he felt so weird. Another deep chuckle came from Orochimaru as he watched Sasuke squirm, another soft groan coming from the black-haired man. Sasuke rolled onto his back, his eyes still closed, he knew Orochimaru was enjoying this, watching him squirm, but Sasuke couldn't help it.

"Want to know what the venom does, Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru asked, the snake that bit Sasuke crawling over to him. Orochimaru picked up the snake, looking it over.

"Ah, seems you've made a new friend, Sasuke, she likes you."

Sasuke's eyes opened to give Orochimaru a feeble glare. The raven's breath was erratic, he rolled back onto his side, his back facing Orochimaru. Sasuke tensed, feeling the cold scales against his stomach once again, the snake crawling up his shirt, hearing Orochimaru give another chuckle.

"You like that, huh?" Orochimaru asked, not getting a response from Sasuke except for a soft moan.

"The venom makes the nerves hypersensitive to pleasure. Even pain can be seen as pleasurable when it's running through your veins. The smallest touch, the smallest lick," Orochimaru whispered into Sasuke's ear, "can make you twist and squirm for more." Sasuke gave a weak growl, Orochimaru chuckling. The snake crawled out of Sasuke's shirt, being up at his face once again. The pink tongue flickering out against Sasuke's jaw this time. Sasuke twisted a little, giving a another soft groan. Orochimaru smirked, running a finger against Sasuke's curse mark, the raven twitching and giving a louder moan, the black eyes squeezing shut as his body shook.

"Just like that," Orochimaru whispered, the smirk growing. "Sasuke-kun, why don't you listen to those voices for a bit? I'll be back soon." Orochimaru stood up and walked off to somewhere in his room, chuckling.

Sasuke's eyes opened, looking at the snake, the scaled creature's tongue flickering out again at him. Sasuke rolled onto his back, his tied eyes slightly off to the side as he stared up at the ceiling. The snake crawled into his shirt again, this time curling up on his stomach, not coming out. Sasuke twitched a little, giving a soft moan as her cold scales stayed again his body, warming up to his body heat. His eyes fogged over as he heard the voices coming back, whispering softly in his ears. Sasuke's eyes closed again, he just listened, he couldn't fight back against them, not now, not with this venom in his veins.

He felt a soft touch on his cheeks, opening his eyes to see Orochimaru smirking down at him.

"Have a nice chat with the mark, Sasuke?" Orochimaru asked, Sasuke just staring up at him. Orochimaru undid the cloth around Sasuke's mouth, touching the mark again, running some of his chakra in it. Sasuke's back arched, his mouth opening in a silent moan as his eyes shut. Orochimaru glanced at Sasuke's stomach.

"Come on out, now," he said, the snake crawling out, hissing at Orochimaru in anger. "You'll have plenty of time to spend with him later." Orochimaru smirked at Sasuke, running more chakra into the mark, the black swirls slowly spreading over Sasuke's skin. The raven twisted and turned, eyes still shut. It didn't hurt anymore, instead, it felt...good.

"I told you, Sasuke-kun, even pain can be pleasurable."

"F-fuck you," Sasuke groaned out, arching his back again. Orochimaru just smiled and stood up, watching the mark finish spreading over Sasuke's body.

XXX

Ego frowned, well, no one could see it, but they felt a change in the atmosphere. Naruto and Kakashi looked over at him, Naruto's eyes still filled with worry over Sasuke.

"What is it, Ego?" Kakashi asked, still watching the man. Ego looked down at Id, who was sitting in his lap.

"I...don't quite know. I felt...odd for a second. A feeling I haven't felt in a while. I need to go." Id stood up, placing Id in Kakashi's lap. "I'll be back later." Dusk and Kakashi watched him leave, Id already dozing off in Kakashi's lap. Naruto looked up and at Kakashi, the white-haired man giving him a small smile.

"He just had to go somewhere. Don't worry, Naruto, the ninja that Tsunade is sending us to find Sasuke will be here soon, I promise." Naruto just gave a small nod, looking back out the window, still to worried to care about anything else.

Ego walked briskly into the woods, finally dropping to all fours as the pure white tail swished back and forth, the black tipped ears twitching at a few sounds. Ego shook himself, it had been a long time since he took this form. The white fur shook, as the black paws took a few steps forward, Ego's nose twitching as he started at a run through the trees.

"This better be important," he mumbled to himself as he ran, "or I'll get angry." He kept running, jumping over small rivers and rocks, dodging the trees as he ran, stopping only to catch a breath and make sure he was on track.

"Oh dear, oh dear," Ego grumbled when he came to the place he was supposed be. "I swear if you don't come on out I'm going to kill you."

"Sorry, Ego, sorry. I have some news you might like to hear," the cat said, appearing out of no where.

"You know, you remind me of the Cheshire Cat from that story with the girl and the guy in the hat."

"Focus, Ego, focus!" The cat hissed, floating there in thin air, the black tail swishing back and forth. "I know where Sasuke Uchiha is."

"Mr. Uchiha? Mr. Uzumaki and Mr. Hatake will be most pleased."

"Yes, I know. But It is vitally important that you listen to me and. Ego...ego...EGO!" The cat finally yelled. "Stop messing with your tail dammit and listen to me!"

"Sorry," Ego said, letting his long tail go as it swished behind him, his ears alert as he listened to the cat.

"Sasuke Uchiha is several miles from here, passed the river. There is a cave that is the entrance."

"Then I must go tell Mr. Uzumaki and Mr. Hatake immediately."

"No! Not now. If you do, his life could be in danger. Give me a little longer and I'll have him in a safe place."

"Where would that be?" Ego asked, tilting his head to the side cutely.

"North from here. In a small cave, you know the place."

"Hm? Oh that place. I remember very well. On that cold night, the soft whispers and moans, the-"

"Yes, yes, it was all fun," the cat hissed at him, his tail swishing. "But right now, you need to go back to them and tell them nothing until I let you know. Got it?"

"I understand."

"Good, now I must go back to Sasuke and tend to him."

"Lance?" Ego asked, looking at the floating black cat, the animal looking at him.

"What is it?"

"Can we mate again? Once all this is over?"

"Maybe. But no promises," Lance responded, disappearing in a sudden wisp of air.

Ego stood up, running back through the woods, taking on his human form before he reached the cabin, going back inside to see many ninja there.

"Hello, Mr. Nara, how are you?"

"I'm fine, Ego," Shikamaru said, looking at Naruto and Kakashi. "We should start looking around the current area for clues...Naruto, why don't you and Choji go look around?" Naruto stood up, Choji smiling at him as they walked out of the house, Ego watching them leave.

"Kakashi," Shikamaru said, looking at the white-haired man seriously. "You know we wouldn't be doing all of this if it wasn't for Naruto, right? The village could care less about Sasuke."

"I know. But you know if the village didn't put forth this effort, Naruto would take it upon himself to find Sasuke."

"Probably getting himself hurt...I know."

XXX

Lance smiled at the sleeping Sasuke, sitting down in a chair. He had to watch over Sasuke every night, in case the curse mark took a turn for the worse on him. Either way, Lance gave another heavy sigh. Soon he could launch his plan to help the raven escape. He owed the raven back, Sasuke did save him before after all...

xxx Flashback xxx

The black cat ran through the air, panting hard as he hid in a tree, watching as the human ran under him. Lance gave a terrified shiver, they were hunting for him, knowing he was the familiar of the two tailed beast. The black cat curled up, giving another shiver, he was so cold, he was separated from the carrier that held his master, he was alone. The cat shivered again before staring another run, he had to escape before they killed him. Find Ego or Peach before they did. One of the stronger familiars could save him, he needed help.

Lance finally stopped when he reached a small lake, curling up and shivering again, his black tail around him. He didn't know where he was, he knew he was a long way from his master though, he felt the connection fading away. Lance jumped, hissing when he felt a soft hand touch his fur, seeing the soft smile of a young child, a boy.

"Hi, kitty! Are you lost?" The boy said,petting Lance again, picking him up. Lance was almost the same size of the boy, he could even tell the child had trouble carrying him inside. Lance found himself in a kitchen, the boy placing a bowl of milk down.

"My name is Sasuke, what's yours?" He asked, lance lapping up at the milk. He meowed up at Sasuke, the boy laughing. Lance gave a small purr, this human...was nice. Lance hadn't met many kind humans. Sasuke pet him again, smiling.

"I'll keep you safe while your here, kitty. Were you running from something?"

Lance nodded and meowed, Sasuke smiling again at him.

"Well, you're more than welcome to stay here." Lanced purred, meowing and rubbing against Sasuke's legs, following the small human into the boy's bedroom, the child going to bed. Lance crawled onto the sheets, hearing nothing but the boy breathing silently. He was safe here, in this home. He was offered protection. Lance smiled at the sleeping boy.

"And I'll keep you safe as well, Sasuke," he said quietly, going to sleep on Sasuke's legs.

XXX

Sabbia: Done! I know it's really short, but I had to write something!

Sasuke: Maybe this gives you some insight in as to who Lance is.

Ego: Either way, R&R people!


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"Talking"

_Thinking_

XXX

Sasuke let out a pain filled hiss as he pulled against the chains. He was shirtless in a cold, dark room. Chains binding his hands as they pulled them above his head. Sasuke was left standing with the bonds holding him up, but he was in so much pain. Orochimaru chuckled, nipping the mark, hearing a pained yelp come from Sasuke

"Does it hurt, Sasuke?" Orochimaru asked him, wrapping his arms around Sasuke's waist, pulling the boy into him. Orochimaru gave a small chuckle as he ran his tongue along the mark, forcing more chakra into the boy. Every touch Orochimaru gave, he forced chakra into Sasuke, making the mark go wild. Sasuke let out a louder yelp, almost like a small scream, panting once the pain receded. Sweat dripped off Sasuke's brow, some of it running down his chest, cooling him off. Sasuke felt like he was on fire.

Orochimaru's smirk grew as he bit the mark, making Sasuke give a loud scream, the raven pulling against his bonds in an attempt to get away. A deep chuckle came from Orochimaru as he moved away from Sasuke, circling the panting raven.

"Oh? Why did you stop, Sasuke?" He asked when Sasuke went silent. "You were making such beautiful sounds. And people say ravens can't sing." Orochimaru chuckled again when Sasuke gave him a deadly glare. It soon faded though, Sasuke looking back at the ground, breathing hard. Orochimaru walked closer to Sasuke, lifting the raven's chin with his finger, smiling at him, looking into the black eyes. He leaned forward, just enough for his lips to brush against Sasuke's.

"It's best not to fight it, Sasuke," Orochimaru mumbled, a smirk coming to his lips. "If you just accept it, the pain will go away. Who knows, it might even feel good."

Sasuke spat at him, the snake just licking the saliva away before he loosed the chains, Sasuke dropping to the floor, his hands still bound by the linked metal. The cool floor felt good to Sasuke's heated skin, he closed his eyes, trying to calm his breath. Orochimaru watched, a smile on his face. Sasuke was a very interesting subject indeed.

"Lord Orochimaru," a voice said, Orochimaru turning around.

"Oh, Lance. What are you doing here?"

"To serve, my lord. May I give Sasuke some water? He looks like he needs some." Lance waited, Orochimaru looking him over before nodding. "Thank you, my lord."

Lance quickly went to Sasuke side, making him sit up a little, Lance using his lap as a pillow for Sasuke's head.

"Come on now, Sasuke, drink some, it will make you feel better," Lance said very softly, holding the water bottle to Sasuke's cracked lips. Sasuke drank slowly, coughing every now and then.

"He seems to like you, Lance," Orochimaru said, walking around them, Lance looking up at the snake.

"I suppose so, my lord," Lance responded, laying Sasuke's head back down to the floor, the raven giving a soft grunt. Lance stood up, preparing to leave, Orochimaru stopping him.

"You don't want to watch?" Orochimaru asked, Lance looking at him.

"No sir, I'm sorry, my lord, but I have other duties to attend to. At what time do you want me to come retrieve him?"

"About an hour or so."

"Yes, my lord, good-bye." Lance left quickly, hoping that Orochimaru wouldn't kill Sasuke before Lance could help him.

Sasuke groaned as he was forced to his feet, the chains being tightened again so he would keep standing. He watched Orochimaru with tired eyes, the snake chuckling at him. Orochimaru had more reason to force the mark to activate than to just watch Sasuke squirm. Once Sasuke got used to the pain, it would take on a pleasurable feel, to the point where, hopefully, Sasuke would even want the mark to activate, to take him over. Orochimaru nuzzled the mark, hearing Sasuke's breath hitch, he smirked, so there was a little pleasure behind it already.

"Just accept the mark, Sasuke, and all your pain will go away," Orochimaru whispered, smirking. Sasuke shut his eyes, giving a small growl.

"I will never give in to you," he growled at the snake, opening his eyes to give a stone cold glare. Orochimaru only chuckled, placing his chin on Sasuke's shoulder, hugging the raven to him. He watched Sasuke with curious eyes.

"Do they still talk to you? The voices?" He asked, Sasuke remaining silent, now staring at the ground.

"I wonder, do they tell you what I do? For you to give in and accept the mark? Or do they tell you other things?"

Again silence.

Orochimaru smirked, kissing Sasuke's neck softly, hearing a growl come from the pale throat. Orochimaru chuckled, looking into Sasuke's black eyes.

"I wonder...does Naruto even care about you anymore?" Orochimaru asked, smirking when Sasuke's eyes widened in worry. "I mean, you would think he would have found you by now, don't you? It's almost like he doesn't care. But then again, I wouldn't expect him to, I mean, who could love you?"

Sasuke's heart rate increased, his eyes now filled with worry as he stared at the ground, thinking.

"But then again, it takes a monster to know one, right?" Orochimaru asked, hugging Sasuke a little tighter, gently nuzzling the mark, making it activate. He watched Sasuke, the raven didn't feel any pain, his thoughts were somewhere else. The mark spread, Sasuke still staring at the ground, his brow furrowed in worry. Was Orochimaru right? Sasuke felt like his heart was torn, did Naruto really not care? No, Naruto still cared, Sasuke knew he did...but...

Orochimaru smirked and let go of Sasuke, seeing Lance walk in.

"Ah, Lance, right on time, take Sasuke back to his room, if you would." Orochimaru left without another word, lance undoing Sasuke's bonds and helping him back to his room, looking at the raven.

"Are you OK, Sasuke?"

"Yeah...just thinking," Sasuke mumbled, still watching the ground.

"Sasuke, I'm going to get you out of here, tonight," Lance said in a quieter voice, Sasuke looking at him.

"What?"

"Just wait in your room until I come get you. Just be ready, and put on the warmest clothes you have," Lance put Sasuke in his room, closing the door as he walked off quickly. Sasuke looked at his door, he didn't have many clothes to begin with, much less warm clothes. What season was it? And come to think of it, how long has he been there? Sasuke didn't know, maybe Lance knew. Last Sasuke heard, he had been there for about four days, but how long ago was that?

Sasuke slipped on two pairs of shirts and put on the long pants he had received, now just waiting. He wanted to get out, wanted to see if Naruto still cared for him, wanted to know if he still had a place in the world where he was accepted, cared for, loved. Lance came back in, handing a blanket to Sasuke, it was thick.

"You're going to want that," Lance said, looking at Sasuke.

"Lance, how long have I been here?" Sasuke asked, holding the blanket.

"About seven weeks."

"Seven weeks?"

"Most of the time you were sleeping due to your mark."

"Seven weeks...that's almost a month."

"That is a month, or more."

"What month is it again?"

"December. It's very cold outside, freezing point, actually, come on, we have to move. Keep close," Lance said, leading Sasuke out of the room.

"Put the blanket around you, I don't want you to freeze to death," Lance mumbled, sneaking through the halls quietly, Sasuke putting the blanket around his shoulder.

"Sasuke, listen to me. As soon as you leave this cave, go straight, once you come to a river, turn right and continue until you come to a willow tree. After that, make another right and hide in that cave."

"What about foot prints, if there's snow?"

"Never mind that, just go. I'll try to meet you there, but I promise that someone will find you, an ally," Lance said, "now go! Quickly! I'll keep Orochimaru distracted!" Lance ran from Sasuke, the raven blinking when Lance turned into a large black cat, floating in mid air. He knew that cat from somewhere.

Sasuke didn't stay to dwell, he ran like he was told. Outside was cold, it was freezing. He ran through the snow, shivering, wishing he had some thicker shoes. But Sasuke ignored his freezing feet, he just kept running until he came to the river, turning right and running even further until he came to the willow tree. He looked at it, the tree looking more depressed in the snow. He looked around and went right, running straight, finally seeing a small cave. Sasuke sighed and went into it, sitting down, watching the snow filled world outside. He shivered, pulling the blanket closer around him. His breath came out in steams, Sasuke even felt ice forming on his eye lashes, he was so cold.

Snow began to fall slowly, Sasuke watching it, his vision beginning to fade, he got so sleepy all of a sudden. He kept shaking, his mind beginning to shut off, he didn't realize he was going into hypothermia. Sasuke leaned his head against the cold wall of the cave, staring at the roof of it, his eyes slipping closed as his muscles relaxed, his lips turning a dull blue. Sleep was about to pull Sasuke into it's soft embrace, but something warm woke him up. He looked at the source, seeing the large black cat, Lance. The cat was Lance, right? The cat looked up at Sasuke, curling tighter around him.

"Don't worry, Sasuke, help will be here soon, I promise, just stay awake," Lance said, watching Sasuke, the black eyes threatening to slip close again. "Hey! Come on! Wake up! Don't fall asleep on me!" Lance pleaded, Sasuke jumping awake and shaking his head, he was so tired...

XXX

Naruto was pacing, he wanted to be out looking for Sasuke, not sitting around doing nothing.

"Let me go look for him!" Naruto growled, glaring at Shikamaru.

"Naruto, please," Shikamaru pleaded, "just calm down, we will find him."

"Then let me go look for him to! It's like you guys don't even care about Sasuke!" Naruto stopped, looking at some of the anbu, his eyes widening then narrowing. "Get out," he growled, "just all of you get out! I'm going to look for Sasuke myself, since I seem to be the only person that actually cares."

"Naruto!" Ego said, stopping Naruto.

"What?" Naruto growled at him, the man staring at Naruto.

"I know where Sasuke is. He is with Lance."

"Who's Lance?"

"Someone we can trust," Ego answered, walking outside with Naruto on his heels.

"Where is he?" Naruto asked, Ego taking his time, actually getting distracted by snowflakes. Naruto waited patiently, well, as patiently as he could.

"EGO!" Naruto yelled, making Ego jump. "Where is he?"

"Oh, right! Follow me," Ego said, transforming into his fox form, blending into the snow perfectly, except for his black paws and black tipped ears. Naruto blinked several times as he followed Ego, having to pick him out from the snow. It was cold, really cold, Naruto shivered, his jacket wasn't thick enough against the cold. But he kept going, his want to find Sasuke was to strong to be defeated by some cold weather. Ego stopped at the river, drinking some of the water. Naruto shivered, watching him.

"How much farther?" He asked, Ego looking up at him.

"Not much farther," Ego replied, continuing his slow trot through the snow. Naruto sighed and kept following, wanting to run, to hurry up.

"Here we are," Ego said, walking up to the entrance of the cave, Naruto seeing the large black cat and something bundled up in a blanket, using the cat as a pillow.

"It's about time!" Lace hissed at them. "He's about to fall asleep, he's going into Hypothermia." Naruto stood there for a second, then ran inside the cave, grabbing the bundle and holding it close to his chest. Sasuke's eyes opened a little, the lashes completely covered in ice. Sasuke's blue lips trembled a little, trying to say something, but he couldn't. Naruto took Sasuke's cold hand in his, warming up the blue fingers.

"Sasuke, oh, Sasuke, you're OK," Naruto nearly sobbed, hugging Sasuke even tighter, trying to warm up the near lifeless body. Sasuke tried to speak again, failing, but he was able to get a small sound out, he gripped Naruto's shirt, his grip weak with the cold. Lance and Ego watched, Ego looking at Lance, the cat sighing, giving a small nod as he disappeared, Ego leaving Naruto and rushing out of the cave, he had some place to be.

Naruto put his jacket on Sasuke, wrapping the blanket around him before carefully picking him up, rushing out of the cave and back home. Sasuke tried to keep his eyes opened, keeping his head in the crook of Naruto's neck, but his eyes slipped closed, he just couldn't stay awake anymore. Naruto reached the cabin, kicking the door open and walking in as fast as he could, placing Sasuke on the couch, trying to warm up the fingers while softly speaking to him, trying to get Sasuke to wake up. Kakashi was at Naruto's side, removing the blanket and Naruto's jacket, even the thin, soaked shoes. Sasuke's eyes opened, barely, before they closed again. Shikamaru watched, he had sent the other anbu home, so he could avoid angering Naruto any further, but Choji remained with him. Choji looked at Shikamaru and smiled.

"You know, Shikamaru, the village may not care about Sasuke, but he's a person to," Choji said.

"So?" Shikamaru retorted, both of them keeping their voices down.

"Just like everyone else, Sasuke needs affection and love." Choji walked out of the home, going to go turn in the report, Shikamaru soon following after he waved good bye to Kakashi.

Sasuke's eyes remained closed while Naruto removed his wet clothing. Kakashi found some warm blankets, carefully wrapping Sasuke up in them, looking at Naruto.

"I'll make something warm for him to drink for when he wakes up," he said softly, Naruto giving a small nod, holding one of Sasuke's hands in his, rubbing it softly with his thumb. Sasuke gave a soft groan as he moved a little, taking his hand away from Naruto as he curled up in the blankets. Naruto gave a small smile, moving some of the black hair out of Sasuke's face. Kakashi came out of the kitchen, handing Naruto a hot cup of coffee while draping a blanket over his shoulders.

"You need to keep warm, too after running around in the snow like that," Kakashi said softly. Naruto giving a weak chuckle.

"I'll be fine, it's Sasuke I'm worried about..."

"I know, but he'll be fine, he's a tough one...Naruto, why don't you take Sasuke up to his room? I'll keep watch over him while you sleep."

"No!" Naruto said, "I won't leave him alone! The last time I left him alone he-"

"Naruto, he'll be fine. I won't leave his side."

"No! I'm staying with him."

Kakashi sighed, he knew when he lost with Naruto. He watched as Naruto very gently picked Sasuke up, carrying him up the stairs to the raven's room. It sometimes amazed Kakashi, how Naruto could continue to care for Sasuke, disregarding his own health.

Naruto placed Sasuke down on the bed softly, Sasuke rolling onto his side and giving a soft moan, curling up in the blankets further. Naruto smiled, his heart fluttering at the sight of Sasuke, he looked so cute. Sasuke's eyes opened a little, the black orbs landing on Naruto.

"N-Naru...to?" Sasuke mumbled, Naruto smiling warmly at him.

"Yeah?"

"Mm...cuddle?" Naruto eyes lit up, his smile growing brighter.

"Whatever you want." Naruto took off his shoes, crawling onto the other side of the bed, feeling Sasuke grasp his shirt weakly.

"No shirt," Sasuke mumbled, watching with tired eyes as Naruto removed hi shirt, moving under the blankets with Sasuke.

"Happy?"

"Happy," Sasuke responded, cuddling close to Naruto, giving a soft sigh. Naruto smiled, holding Sasuke close, he could feel weak shivers run through Sasuke's body, but the raven wasn't freezing cold like before. Naruto's eyes slipped closed as he fell into a soft sleep with Sasuke, nuzzling his nose into the black hair. Kakashi peeked into the room, giving a soft, small smile as he shut off the light, closing the door softly. He went downstairs, going to go ahead and start breakfast, he had something special he wanted to make Sasuke and Naruto. He just needed to prepare some of the ingredients that night.

Kakashi glanced at the door when it opened, it was locked, and only he, Naruto, Tsunade, and Ego had a key. He glanced over at Dusk, the cat didn't seemed worried. The door opened, Ego coming in, followed by Lance.

"Thanks for your help in this, Ego, Lance," Kakashi said, looking at Lance. "How did you get Sasuke away from Orochimaru?"

"It was easy. The snake is scared to death of birds of prey. I master in the art of illusions so I changed myself into a giant bird and chased him so far away he won't be coming back anytime soon. Every now and then for extra measures I'll put the illusion of the giant hawk up again."

"Huh," Kakashi said, looking at Ego. "Can Ego take off his mask?"

"Yes, but he usually never does. He did a while ago."

"What color are his eyes? Any facial features?

"Dark green and no, not really," Lance said, going over to pet Dusk, the cat meowing at him. Ego followed Kakashi into the kitchen, going to help him prepare the breakfast.

The morning came quick enough, the air cold outside, but the house was nice and warm. Sasuke had taken a shower really early that morning, Kakashi telling him and Naruto not to come downstairs until the dinner was ready. Dusk had visited Sasuke before going back downstairs to talk with Lance, the older cat had so much wisdom about the best places to kill squirrels. Dusk was overjoyed that Sasuke was back, she really was, but Lance had told her that Sasuke needed to spend some time with Naruto.

Sasuke gave a gentle sigh as Naruto kissed his neck softly. Sasuke was feeling much better, he just needed some food in his stomach. Naruto nipped Sasuke neck, moving to the other side, seeing the curse mark.

"Does it ever hurt?" Naruto asked softly, nuzzling his ear.

"Not anymore," Sasuke replied, smiling at Naruto. The fox placed his hands on Sasuke's hips, smiling at him.

"Would you mind?"

"Mind what?"

Naruto gave a soft smile, and undid the button on Sasuke's pants, pulling the zipper down. Sasuke watched Naruto's eyes, seeing the fox smile at him.

"Can I? Please?" Naruto kept his eyes on Sasuke, his heart thumping against his chest. Sasuke sighed and nodded, looking off to the window, watching the snow fall. Naruto smiled and moved down, carefully pulling Sasuke's pants down enough for him to take Sasuke's member out. Naruto ran a thumb along the head, smiling at Sasuke, seeing a light blush on his face. Naruto's smile grew, he wanted to make Sasuke feel good. He gently flicked his tongue out against the head, hearing Sasuke's breath hitch. Naruto's smile grew as he sucked the head softly, hearing Sasuke give a small grunt.

Naruto softly took more into his mouth, giving gentle sucks, taking more in his mouth when he felt Sasuke's hips twitch. He smirked, deep-throating Sasuke while giving a deep moan, making vibrations run through Sasuke's member. Sasuke gave a louder groan, bucking his hips only to have Naruto hold them down, giving another deep moan. Naruto felt his own member twitch, but he forced down his want, Sasuke mattered more right now. Sasuke shut his eyes tight, gripping his arms, why did it feel so good? The blush on his face grew darker when he heard the soft sucking noises. Naruto gave one more deep moan, scraping his teeth along Sasuke's member, soft enough not to hurt, hard enough to feel good. Sasuke gave a small whine, then a moan as he came, trying to buck his hips. Naruto swallowed the white substance, sucking Sasuke's head to get anything extra that he could. Naruto licked his lips, smiling up at Sasuke, carefully putting the raven's member back in his pants.

Naruto crawled back up to Sasuke, looking him up and down.

"You're beautiful, you know that?" Naruto's smile widened when he saw the blush on Sasuke face grow even darker. He leaned down to kiss Sasuke, only to have the raven block him with his hand.

"Don't even think of kissing me until you clean out your damn mouth," Sasuke hissed at him, giving a small glare. Naruto smiled and nodded.

"Whatever you want." He got off Sasuke and went to the bathroom, going to do as he was told. Sasuke rolled onto his side when Naruto left, watching the snow hit the window. He curled up in a small ball, trying to calm his heart. It felt good, he already knew that, and he loved it, too. But...Sasuke's eyes opened again when he felt a soft nuzzling against his ear.

"Did you brush your teeth?" He asked.

"Yes, and I used mouthwash, happy?"

"Yeah," Sasuke mumbled, smiling at Naruto, letting the blond kiss him.

"Hungry?"

"Hell yeah," Sasuke said, sitting up as he followed Naruto downstairs to see what breakfast Kakashi had cooked. Kakashi glanced back at them, smiling as he placed the last waffle on the large plate.

"About time you two showed up, hungry?"

Sasuke didn't wait, he grabbed a plate and loaded several waffles on it, draping them in melted butter and syrup. Naruto smiled as he watched Sasuke eat, giving an unconscious shiver. Kakashi glanced at Naruto.

"Well, go on. I'll be insulted if you don't eat something."

Naruto smiled and nibbled on the food, keeping his eyes on Sasuke. Naruto and Kakashi were almost positive that Sasuke was OK, but they weren't certain. He recovered fairly fast from the freezing cold, but still...that mark was worrying. Sasuke said it didn't bother him, but Kakashi was still worried. They needed to find a way to get it off. Kakashi even went as far as interrogating Lance about everything he knew of the mark. Lance simply said there should be no more danger to Sasuke's life, just that the mark would by hypersensitive to touch until they get it removed.

Sasuke yawned and stretched, Dusk hopping onto his shoulders as he stood up.

"I'm going to take a nap...Naruto, want to join?" Sasuke asked, shooting a glare at Kakashi when the older man chuckled, quickly busying himself with cleaning dishes. Naruto smiled and nodded, following Sasuke to the living room, laying down with him. Dusk crawled along Sasuke's legs, laying across them, purring loudly. Lance on the other hand was right above them, hovering in the air while taking a nap. Naruto, held Sasuke close, trying to give the raven as much of his body heat as he could. The blond eyes landed on the mark, Lance said it would be hypersensitive, but not painful, right? Naruto breathed some cool air on it in a stream, feeling a violent shiver run through Sasuke's body, the raven groaning. Sasuke opened his eyes to look at Naruto, giving him a quizzical gaze. Naruto just shrugged, smiling at him. Sasuke raised an eyebrow but closed his eyes again, curling up to Naruto again.

A deep sigh escaped Naruto, he was...happy. He felt like he was finally at peace, did Ssauke feel the same?

XXX

Sabbia: There we go~ Right before Doomsday for me.

Sasuke: ready for the end of the world?

Naruto: Hell yeah!

Sabbia: Happy Doomsday everyone!

Kakashi: R&R people!


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"Talking"

_Thinking_

Note: If you remember, between chapters 2 and 3 there was a skip, a skip of about 3 months. I made the skip to satisfy readers that were not patient to let the plot unfold. This chapter is the last true chapter. But after this, I will post chapters marked "Special". These chapters will jump back to the 3 months. Plenty of Sasuke trying to escape and going crazy.

This is simply a heads up for when the chapters are posted to let you know it takes a time jump backwards.

Now, Ladies and Gentlemen, the last chapter that involves the lemon.

**Plans in rewriting this, as well as all my stories, is in progress. Any ideas you wish to add please Review. What do you want to see more of in this story? I would love to hear your thoughts to help me through mental block.**

XXX

The day was cold, very cold. Snow hitting against the windows with the freezing wind. The snow coating the earth in a white blanket. But Sasuke wasn't cold, not any more. If anything he was burning up, sweating with the heat in his room. Naruto nipped at his neck again, running his hands along Sasuke's hips. He was able to get the raven out of the shirt, now if Naruto could only coax him out of the pants. The day had started out like any other, they had breakfast, they watched a movie, Sasuke played a prank on Kakashi and Lance with Ego and Dusk; and now they were here. Naruto had waited long enough, several years was a very long wait. But he did love Sasuke, he wanted to raven to be happy and to be pleased with him. Naruto wanted Sasuke to fell pleasure, and to feel loved. Naruto kicked Kakashi, Ego and Lance out; even telling Dusk that he wanted her to stay downstairs. He couldn't believe he had talked to the cat, but she did as she was told. She just rolled out the toilet paper and ripped up the dish towels in the kitchen.

Naruto brushed his lips against the mark on Sasuke's neck, Sasuke taking in a very deep breath and letting it out in a shaky air.

"Hey, hey, it's OK," Naruto mumbled, smiling at Sasuke, staring into the black eyes.

"You promise it won't hurt?" Sasuke asked, looking at Naruto.

"Hurt?" Naruto asked, his eyes widening a bit. So Sasuke knew what he was trying to get at. "It'll hurt just a bit, just a little bit. Well...you might bleed, but I promise that after that pain you'll feel so much better."

"So it will hurt?"

"Well, yeah, it will," Naruto mumbled at him, giving a small smile, rubbing Sasuke's face with his thumb. "But it'll feel good, too."

Sasuke looked back at Naruto, glancing out the window.

"Are you cold?"

"No, not anymore," Sasuke replied, glancing back at Naruto. "If it hurts worse than what I think, I get to hit you."

"Deal."

Naruto smiled again and gently kissed Sasuke, rubbing his hands down Sasuke's thighs.

"Mind if I take them off."

"What I do mind is that I'm shirtless and your trying to take off my pants but your still clothed," Sasuke hissed, Naruto taking off his shirt quickly and unbuckling his pants.

"Better?"

"Much," Sasuke replied, looking back out the window. Naruto's heart fluttered, Sasuke was so cute when he was angry, he was cute all the time. Naruto had never understood Sasuke very well in the social aspect though. With him and Kakashi and the others he was now open and happy, smiling, kind. But with everyone else he didn't trust, he was cold and distant. It always confused Naruto, but as long as Sasuke was happy with him, he didn't care. Naruto nipped Sasuke's jaw line, moving to kiss the raven. They parted and Naruto smiled at him, nuzzling the pale neck.

"Are you sure?"

"If you keep asking me that then forget it," Sasuke hissed, Naruto's heart fluttering again. Sasuke had some spunk with him now, that was much better. As much as Naruto loved Sasuke being soft and cuddly, he loved that spunk more. Even if it was a little.

Naruto moved to one of Sasuke's nipples, giving it a small lick, glancing up at the raven. Sasuke was just staring up at the roof, like he didn't even feel it.

"Nothing?"

"You're going to have to try harder than that if you want me excited," Sasuke dully said back, his black eyes landing on Naruto.

"Are you kidding me?"

"Does it look like I'm kidding?"

Naruto chuckled, kissing Sasuke's stomach, so his little raven wanted some excitement. Naruto would make sure Sasuke wouldn't walk for a week. He kissed Sasuke's stomach again, hooking his thumbs under the rim of Sasuke's pants, smiling up at him.

"I swear if you ask me if it's OK-"

"I won't, I won't," Naruto chuckled, pulling Sasuke's pants and boxers down, looking back at Sasuke. He removed the clothing, only to find Sasuke curling up, looking away.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Naruto asked, nuzzling Sasuke's cheek. His raven didn't answer. Naruto smiled softly, looking Sasuke over again.

"You're beautiful, you know that?" He said, Sasuke's eyes narrowing at him, before looking back out the window. Naruto wondered why Sasuke was silent, trying to hide. His blue eyes widened. Sasuke was ashamed of himself.

"You are beautiful, really, you don't need to hide," Naruto mumbled softly, looking over Sasuke again. "You don't need to be ashamed of yourself."

Sasuke still didn't say anything, he just kept looking out the window, watching the snow. Naruto frowned, kissing Sasuke's neck.

"Well, whatever you think, I still think your beautiful, amazing, everything," Naruto smiled and forced Sasuke to part his legs so he could lay between them. "You are beautiful, don't you think?"

"No...I don't."

"You think you're ugly then?"

"No..."

"Then what?" Naruto asked, kissing the corner of Sasuke's mouth.

"I just don't...know how any one could find me attractive. Isn't that why people have sex? Because they think the other is attractive?"

"Only if you're desperate or having sex with a slut," Naruto responded. "I think you're gorgeous, I love you, I really do. You are everything to me, everything. So I think you're beautiful in every aspect."

"I didn't even know you knew aspect was a word."

Naruto just rolled his eyes before placing his fingers against Sasuke's lips. "Suck, please?"

Sasuke took Naruto fingers into his mouth, Naruto shivering when Sasuke ran his tongue over his fingers, he could feel the heat of Sasuke's mouth. Naruto pulled his fingers out and placed them at Sasuke's entrance, smiling at him as he pushed one finger in. Sasuke gave a small hiss, he looked at Naruto, the smile not helping.

"Does it hurt?"

"Burns a little bit."

Naruto's smile grew softer as he kissed Sasuke's cheek, glancing at the mark. If it got to painful, he could just use that to give Sasuke pleasure, make him feel good. Naruto forced another finger it, parting them like scissors, hearing Sasuke give another hiss.

"You're alright, just one more finger, hm?"

"I can count, Dope."

Naruto's heart fluttered, he missed being called that.

"Whatever you say, Teme," he mumbled into Sasuke's ear, forcing yet another finger in and parting them. Sasuke let out a small gasp, gritting his teeth, he was still a virgin after all. Naruto nipped Sasuke's neck, almost touching the mark, but not quite.

As soon as Naruto's fingers were out of the raven, he removed his own pants. Naruto reached into a side table, taking out a bottle of lube, smiling at Sasuke as he made sure he coated plenty on his cock.

"You hid that in my room?"

"What? I've been wanting to do this for a while," Naruto chuckled, kissing Sasuke quickly before he positioned himself. "Ready?"

Sasuke only gave a small nod, Naruto pushing the head in, giving a small hiss at how tight and how hot Sasuke was. Naruto shut his eyes, Sasuke was so tight he didn't know how he was going to get further into the raven. He heard a tiny sob, looking at Sasuke, the black eyes squeezed shut and the teeth clench the further Naruto pushed in.

"You OK?"

"It hurts...I feel like you're ripping me apart," Sasuke said quietly, trying to keep the pain out of his voice, but it wasn't working. Naruto frowned, he was in so much pleasure, it was hard not to thrust as hard as he could into Sasuke, he didn't want to break the trust he had with Sasuke now. Naruto gave a small lick to the mark on Sasuke's neck as he thrust all the way in, only hearing a small moan come from Sasuke.

"Stop," Sasuke mumbled, already some sweat forming on him from the pain. "I don't want the damn mark involved in this...if I feel pleasure, I want it to come from you."

"Whatever you want," replied Naruto, the fox worried Sasuke wouldn't get much pleasure if all he felt was pain.

Either way, Naruto began a slow, gentle thrust, watching Sasuke's expressions as he moved in him, trying to find that special place. All Naruto saw was pain until he hit one spot that made Sasuke's back arch and a low moan to come out. A smile crept onto Naruto's face, that was what he was looking for. Naruto gave a harder thrust, hitting that spot dead on, hearing another moan, yeah, that was the right place. Sasuke's nails were digging into Naruto's back, drawing a little blood.

Naruto gave a harder thrust, giving a low moan himself as he placed his forehead against Sasuke's, smiling at him as he kept gaining power and speed. Naruto opened his mouth to say something, but Sasuke stopped him.

"Don't say a damn thing you bastard," Sasuke hissed, Naruto's smile growing as he kissed his raven. So Sasuke still loved to insult him, Naruto had wondered where that side of Sasuke had went. Naruto continued his thrust, giving a small grunt, he had a lot of stamina, he wanted to go faster, harder, deeper...but Sasuke, could he handle it? Naruto placed his head in the crook of Sasuke's neck, gripping the pale hips and thrusting hard, hearing a deep moan from Sasuke with a small hiss of pain. Naruto just smiled and kept going until he was pounding into the smaller frame, giving a low groan as he listened to the sounds Sasuke was making.

Naruto heard Kyuubi give a deep, pleasure filled growl. The demon fox was enjoying this, he felt everything his kit felt, and this was amazing. So tight and so hot, Kyuubi almost wanted to take Naruto over and fuck Sasuke himself. But that would probably scare the raven away. Naruto let out another grown, he had waited so long for this, nothing could match the pleasure he was feeling. Sasuke let out another pain filled hiss when Naruto buried his nails in his hips. Sasuke already knew he would have bruises tomorrow.

They kept going, Sasuke just glancing at the clock when he heard the wind, an hour, and still going. He groaned and shut his eyes, holding Naruto closer, sweat covering both of their bodies. Naruto gave a violent thrust, making Sasuke give a startled gasp and arch into him. The fox grabbed Sasuke's member and rubbed it, smiling as he watched Sasuke, the black eyes closed again. Naruto licked Sasuke's jugular vein, Sasuke moving his head to offer more of his neck to Naruto. The small licks, nips, and bites Naruto gave to Sasuke's neck made Sasuke know what the fox was trying to do. He was trying to mark him, tell everyone that Sasuke belonged to Naruto Uzumaki.

Sasuke moaned again, his nails scraping Naruto's back more.

"N-Naruto, more, please. I'm so close," Sasuke groaned into Naruto's ear, getting what he asked for. Naruto gave a harder thrust, giving a small moan himself, smiling as he licked Sasuke's neck once more. Before he felt Sasuke tense and give a small twitch before letting out a deep moan, cumming. Naruto wanted to keep going, he really did, but Sasuke tightened around him so much he didn't have a choice but cum, Sasuke literally forced it out of Naruto. They both let out long moans then pants, Naruto wrapping his arms around Sasuke as he pulled out, giving a small chuckle.

"God I love you," Naruto mumbled, hugging Sasuke tight.

"I'm cold," Sasuke mumbled back, cuddling close to Naruto when the fox laid down beside him. Naruto just smiled and pulled the blankets over them.

"Not going to say that you love me back?" Naruto asked, but he knew Sasuke was still to proud to say such a thing. Just letting Naruto touch him told the blond ninja that the raven did love him, trusted him, and that was all Naruto needed to know.

Naruto let out a loud yelp as he felt a powerful punch to his stomach, looking at Sasuke.

"I told you I was going to hit you if it hurt worse that I thought it would," Sasuke grumbled at him, just being hugged tighter.

"And so you did, and so you did."

XXX

Naruto was sipping a cup of coffee as he watched Dusk play with her new toy mouse, a gift form Lance. The blue eyes glanced up when Kakashi came in, covered in snow as he shook off.

"Where's Sasuke?" He asked, watching Dusk pretend to kill the toy mouse.

"Sleeping."

"Still?"

"He can't do much else, he can't even walk," Naruto chuckled, smiling. "You know, it surprises me, why did he become so open? I never really expected it...I mean, I expected him not to be so jumpy, but coming all the way here..."

"I think that he just needed to be reminded that not everyone wants to hurt him. I believe, that Sasuke has always wanted to feel accepted, but he didn't know how to respond to that or to people being kind to him."

"You think?"

"I'm pretty sure. Anyway, we're hosting a dinner tonight."

"Who's coming?"

"Lady Tsunade and a few other people to test how open and how calm Sasuke has become."

"If he can walk," Naruto reminded Kakashi, the older man chuckling.

"I'm sure Sasuke will be fine, he's pretty tough, he'll get over the pain."

They watched Dusk slap the toy across the kitchen before tackling it again and latching it in her jaws before she threw it in the air, slapping it more.

"Do you think that Dusk opened him up more?"  
"Animals have been known to help people recover and to open up faster. Gives them a familiar, something they can reside in. I believe that if we didn't get him Dusk, it might be next year or longer than that for him to be where he is now."

"He really does love her."

"That he does. Well, go take a shower while I begin to prepare the food. The roast takes a few hours to prepare."

"Whatever, grandma," Naruto chuckled, placing his empty cup in the sink and went up stairs, glancing in Sasuke's room. The raven was still sleeping, curled up in the blankets as the snow and wind kept hitting against the window. Naruto closed the door softly, going to his room. Nothing could be better in his life. He had Sasuke with him, happy and open. He had a good village, he had everything. But one thing that worried Naruto was, what if Sasuke wasn't happy in the peaceful life anymore? Maybe Naruto could talk with Tsunade and get her to let Sasuke go out on some missions at some point, with Naruto there of course.

It all came down to luck, Naruto's smile faded. Luck. Some where in there, Sasuke still wanted to escape, to get away, to not trust anyone. Naruto was just able to push that desire down, btu how long would it stay down?

XXX

Sabbia: good lord I am sleepy! Blah. -.- I would say over but now I have all those special chapters!

Sasuke: Try working on that Chat site story you were working on. Makes you laugh.

Sabbia: Yeah, I guess. . I just wish this one turned out better.

Naruto: It turned out fine.

Sabbia: Blah. I should have made this chapter longer, just sooo lazy.

Sasuke: Anyway, R&R people! Tell us what you thought! The end!


	17. Special: Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"Talking"

_Thinking_

XXX

Sasuke threw the lamp at Kakashi, darting somewhere else in his room to hide, actually going under the bed. Kakashi barely dodged the lamp, hearing the crash of the lamp against the wall.

"Sasuke, please, stop making this so difficult," Kakashi begged, stepping into the room.

"Fuck off, old man!" Sasuke growled back, still under the bed, up against the wall as far away from the door as he could get.

"Really, Sasuke? Are you that scared of doctor appointments?"

"I said fuck off!"

Naruto watched, Kakashi shrugging at him, Kakashi didn't know what else to do. Naruto sighed and went to his knees, lifting up the blankets to see Sasuke on the other side, half way curled up, half way ready to escape. Naruto just smiled at Sasuke, only hearing a glare back.

"Sasuke,come on out. The doctor is just going to check your health and that's it. Nothing more, nothing less."

"I don't want to see any damn doctor!" Sasuke growled, trying to back up further. Naruto sighed, blinked when Sasuke was pulled out from under the bed by Kakashi who went onto the other side.

"Come on, Sasuke," Kakashi said as he held a struggling Sasuke, the raven actually biting his arm, but Kakashi was unaffected, Sasuke bit some light armor he wore under his clothes. Naruto sighed and stood up, rubbing his hair as he watched Sasuke struggling, the raven was going to electrocute himself again if he didn't calm down.

"Please, Sasuke, just one hour and then you can hide under the bed again," Naruto pleaded, helping Kakashi force Sasuke out of the room, the raven fighting them the whole way. As soon as they got him down the stairs, Sasuke violently kicked Naruto in the stomach and reared his head back into Kakashi's mouth, having both men let him go and he darted away to hide again. Kakashi held his mouth and mumbled a curse, Naruto gripping his stomach. They both looked at where Sasuke had ran off to, glancing at each other, they had to corner him again. Kakashi rubbed his mouth through his mask before he walked down the hallway, opening a closet door only to see Sasuke on the top shelf in it. The man stared up at the black haired rebel, how in the world did he get up there? And how was that shelf not breaking by now? Sasuke growled at Kakashi and tossed a box at him, staying on the shelf, laying there like a cat. Naruto poked his head in, staring up with Kakashi, only to have a box of tissues tossed at him. Sasuke remained up there, holding a stick he had found up on the top shelf and using it as a poker to keep Kakashi and Naruto back.

"Sasuke, please get down. Just one visit with the doctor, that's it. He's coming here in just an hour," Kakashi pleaded, leaning against the doorway while Sasuke amused himself by poking Kakashi with the stick. Kakashi had tried to take it from Sasuke only to get a growl and getting whacked across the head with it.

"Fuck you," Sasuke responded, poking Kakashi's cheek with the stick. "Honk honk," Sasuke said when he poked the side of Kakashi's nose. The older man sighed and pointed to the closet, having his hand whacked by Sasuke with the stick.

"Your turn, Naruto."

Naruto sighed, leaning against the doorway and looking up at Sasuke with pleading eyes.

"Please, please come down, Sasuke. Please?"

"Fuck off, this shelf is comfortable," Sasuke replied in a snort, poking Naruto with the stick. The fox sighed, he didn't know what to do without getting hurt by Sasuke and without hurting Sasuke.

"Sasuke, please."

"No."

Naruto looked over at the door, seeing Kakashi open it as the doctor came in, the one Tsunade recommended.

"So, where is he?" The doctor asked, Kakashi about to reply before Naruto yelped.

"GOD DAMNIT THAT HURT!" Naruto shouted, coming out of the closet holding his nose, blood seeping between his fingers. The doctor looked at Kakashi when he heard a chuckle come form the closet.

"He's in the closet with a weapon...isn't he?"

"Yeah," Kakashi replied simply, leading the doctor over to the closet. The man looked up at Sasuke, getting poked by the stick.

"Hello, Mr. Uchiha, how are you today?"

"Pretty sunny with a big chance of get the hell away from me," Sasuke replied when the doctor stepped into the closet, trying to hit him with the stick, only to have the man step back.

"He's very lively, I'll give him that. Have you tried basic anesthesia to get him down?"

"You mean tranquilizing him?" Kakashi asked, seeing Naruto come back, holding a paper towel on his nose, blood dying the white sheet red.

"That or using bargaining. Sasuke, what would you like in exchange for letting me examine you and check your health?"

"You to go die."

"How about, I give you some candy."

"What do I look like? A child?"

"OK then, how about, I let you beat Naruto with that stick for 30 seconds."

"Deal," Sasuke said, getting off the shelf and following the doctor to the living room, Naruto giving a small whine as Kakashi patted his shoulder.

The doctor had Sasuke sit down, having the raven open his mouth for the doctor to inspect his throat. The man then tested Sasuke reflexes, making his knee jerk and his arm jerk. After that Sasuke had his temperature taken, his weight measured, his height taken, and everything else checked.

"He's as healthy as a race horse. Nothing wrong, alright, Sasuke, go beat Naruto, the first hit starts the 30 seconds."

It didn't take another time to tell Sasuke, he grabbed the stick and whacked Naruto across the stomach, Kakashi watching and wincing at some of the blows Sasuke gave poor Naruto. Soon the doctor stopped Sasuke.

"Good working with you, Sasuke. If he feels sick just tell me...uh...Naruto, do you want me to patch you up before I go?"

"No, I'm good," Naruto coughed out, Kakashi helping him stand. The doctor took the stick away from Sasuke and left.

"He took my stick..." Sasuke mumbled sadly. Naruto coughed and went to the kitchen to find the first aid kit, Kakashi looked at Sasuke.

"Sasuke, want to do something tonight? Special dinner? Movie maybe?"

"I wouldn't mind seeing a movie with popcorn."

"You just want to throw the popcorn at us, don't you?"

"Yeah...pretty much."

Kakashi sighed, Sasuke had tried to escape many times, many many times. But now,today, Sasuke was just toying with them. But Kakashi knew Sasuke was testing them, seeing where they were weak, planning a way to escape. It was just hidden, Sasuke's drive to escape, by playful gestures. Kakashi locked eyes with Sasuke's dark ones, seeing a hidden threat, a threat that Kakashi knew Sasuke would complete. The raven was intent on escaping, and doing anything he could to accomplish that.

Naruto finished tending to his wounds and came back, smiling softly at Sasuke, only getting a glare in return and Sasuke going upstairs to his room, shutting the door.

"Naruto," Kakashi said quietly, knowing Sasuke was listening from up in his room. "Lock your door tonight."

Naruto looked at him sadly but nodded, going upstairs to his room, he was already tired. Kakashi sat down in a chair in the living room, watching Sasuke's door, seeing it finally close completely, Sasuke had kept it open just a crack to hear what they were saying.

Sasuke leaned against his door, his eyes narrowed as he thought. He managed to find a knife, he had hid it for a week without anyone noticing. He just needed to do the deed, then get out, he would use the knife to cut off the collar if he had to. He just wanted freedom, to smell fresh air and to get out of the village, to be free again. Sasuke waited, and waited, until it was well into the night before he got the knife, it wasn't big, but it was sharp. He held it as he very carefully opened the door, peering down stairs past the balcony to see Kakashi snoozing in the chair. Sasuke carefully went out and watched Kakashi for a minute as he closed the door, he already knew Naruto's was locked, the stronger ninja would need to go first. Kakashi was the main danger, Naruto wouldn't hurt Sasuke willing, and Sasuke could use that to his advantage. Carefully, very carefully, he went down the stairs, still watching Kakashi, the man not moving. But Sasuke wasn't stupid, Kakashi could be waited for him to be getting close. Sasuke aimed the knife, he could still throw, he aimed right to Kakashi's heart, but before he even threw the knife, Kakashi was up, holding his own knife as he jumped out the the way, Sasuke twitched to throw the weapon, but didn't let it go. Instead he charged, dodging one way and another to keep Kakashi from getting him.

"Sasuke, just give me the knife."

"Go to hell," Sasuke hissed, slashing at Kakashi, tearing the clothes a bit, but not taking any blood. Kakashi gave a low growl as he hit Sasuke's head, grabbing the arm holding the knife and twisting it behind Sasuke's back, making the raven let go of the object as Kakashi held the other arm.

"What am I going to do with you?" He mumbled, Sasuke growling at him and trying to get away, only to have Kakashi snag Sasuke's hair back, hearing the raven whine.

"Come on, let's get you to bed, Sasuke," Kakashi sighed, forcing Sasuke upstairs and locking the raven in the room. Sasuke growled and kicked the door hard, running a hand through his hair, how could he have been so stupid? He had a perfect chance there and he failed. Sasuke just wanted freedom, that was all he ever wanted...just some freedom...

XXX

Naruto listened to Kakashi's tale of what Sasuke tried to do, shaking his head, Sasuke would not do such a thing. Well, Naruto knew he would, but he didn't want to believe it.

"So what are you going to do as punishment?" Naruto asked, knowing Kakashi was going to punish Sasuke.

"Keep him locked in his room with no food or water for today. He'll be fine, but I'm sure he won't try this again."

"Give him a water bottle or something."

"No. He gets nothing for today. Don't even talk to him."

Naruto sighed and nodded, looking up at Sasuke's door. He wondered, did Sasuke really want to escape that badly?

XXX

Sabbia: Yeah, it's short and all, but I wanted you to see what these chapters would be like :3

Sasuke: R&R people!


	18. Special: Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"Talking"

_Thinking_

Note: Quick reminder that chapters marked Special means it takes place between chapter 2 and 3, during the 3 month break. ^-^

I've also decided these chapters will be short. Just quick stories, that's all, not real chapters.

Now, the next installment of the Special chapters~!

XXX

Naruto watched Sasuke pace around the room, it was funny actually. The other day, Kakashi's punishment didn't really work. What he didn't know was that Sasuke had been storing food that won't spoil and bottles of water in his room, like a squirrel preparing for winter. Actually, messing with Kakashi had become on of Sasuke's games, he enjoyed it more than anything. But Kakashi was gone on a mission, so Sasuke was thinking of what to do.

"Decided on something?" Naruto asked, Sasuke glancing at him before looking away.

"No...not yet."

"Well, it's either a board game, or a movie."

"I know, tough choice because you know, they are both sooooo interesting," Sasuke replied, rolling his eyes. "How about both?"

"At the same time?"

"Why not?"

"What board game?"

"Dammit! I forgot about the actual games..."

"...a strategy game?"

"I call blue, go get the board," Sasuke ordered, Naruto smiling and getting up to find the board. He knew that Sasuke was still planning ways to escape, but even Sasuke needed to interact with people, and he hadn't been shocked in the past three weeks. Naruto was trying to push for a new collar, hopefully he could get it removed completely at some point. Either way, he walked back to the living room and placed the board down, setting it up as Sasuke chose a movie to watch, putting it in. Once the board was up, they began to play, Naruto more of watching Sasuke carefully. Kakashi warned him that Sasuke might try another attack and to remain vigilant. Sasuke's eyes met Naruto.

"Chess?"

"What? It's strategy, isn't it?"

"You don't know who you're playing then," Sasuke chuckled, moving a piece as he looked at the screen, watching for a minute before looking back at the board. Naruto moved his piece, only to have it taken by another move Sasuke made.

"Check."

"Already?" Naruto asked, Sasuke glancing up at him.

"Yeah, check."

Naruto sighed, he was just moving pieces around, he didn't really know how to play. But after a few more moves, Sasuke threw Naruto's king at him.

"Check mate."

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto mumbled, he was tired, really tired. He didn't know why, but Naruto suspected that it was something Sasuke was doing, then Naruto knew it. Sasuke was keeping him busy, busy enough the fox would have to stay awake and not have a moments peace. Another piece was thrown at Naruto, making him jump.

"You're falling asleep on me," Sasuke said, glaring at Naruto.

"Sorry, sorry," Naruto mumbled. He sat up straighter and rubbed his eyes, Sasuke looking him over, Naruto thought he saw a small smirk, but it was gone.

"Want to go outside?" Sasuke asked, standing up, watching Naruto as the blond ninja slowly stood up as well.

"Yeah, yeah, let's go," Naruto yawned, following Sasuke outside. The raven threw a ball Kakashi gave him at Naruto, waiting for it to be thrown back. And that was how they started playing catch. Sasuke kept his eyes on Naruto, waiting for the blond to show more exhaustion, just waiting. Naruto watched Sasuke back, what was the rebel planning? He wouldn't fall asleep, he promised himself.

And Naruto's plan of not falling asleep worked horribly. He was sleeping on the couch, Sasuke already going around the house looking for something while Naruto snoozed. Sasuke mumbled a curse under his breath, where was it? He knew that he hid it somewhere in the kitchen, but he couldn't find it. The other day, Sasuke had found a lighter, he hoped to set the house aflame and get out, they would have to let the barrier down, giving Sasuke a perfect chance to run for it. The people would be to worried about the fire to concentrate on him. But where was it?

After an hour of looking, Sasuke was about to give up,until he heard a tap against the wall, turning around to see Naruto holding the lighter.

"This what you're looking for?" Naruto asked, turning on the lighter, then shutting it off.

"Dammit," Sasuke hissed, leaving the room quickly, he could start a fire another way.

Naruto sighed and followed Sasuke after putting the lighter down.

"Sasuke, please, stop," Naruto begged, touching Sasuke's arm only to have him jerk away.

"What?" Sasuke growled, facing Naruto.

"Why are you so intent on escaping?"

"I want to be free."

"Are you not happy here?"

"Why would I be? You attempted to starve me yesterday."

"Kakashi did that."

"Same difference."

Sasuke continued on his way, trying to find some kindling.

"You can't set the house on fire Sasuke."

"Why not?"

"Because nothing in this house is really flammable without gasoline or something and we have none of that."

Sasuke glared at Naruto and sat down on the couch, he needed yet another plan. Naruto sat down in one of the recliners, watching Sasuke.

"Maybe, if you just try giving the place a try, just one, seeing the good things about this place."

"Like what?"

"You're not beaten every day with steel bars or tied up in chains and hit with a whip, I mean, at least you have a bed and can take a shower whenever you want. It's not cold here like outside, you can control the air."

"Doesn't mean I want to be here," Sasuke hissed.

"Would you rather be here, or would you rather be back in prison?"

"...here."

"See? There are some good things, if not all."

"The shock collar hurts as bad as any of those beatings," Sasuke said, glaring at Naruto.

"That was not my idea, it was the village's. They think it's necessary."

Sasuke snorted and rolled his eyes, standing up as he went outside. Naruto sighed, following him, he couldn't let Sasuke be alone for to long.

Outside, Sasuke was watching the sky, looking at the birds as they flew over head.

"You like birds?" Naruto asked, sitting a ways away from Sasuke, he knew the raven hated being close to other people.

"I envy them," replied Sasuke as he watched them, the sky darkening as night approached.

"Why?"

"Because, their free. The ones that can fly. I've just had my wings clipped and by feet shackled, then thrown into a cage where I'm forced to watch other fly while I can't..."

Naruto remained silent, standing up and waiting patiently for Sasuke to go inside. As soon as Sasuke took a shower then went into his room, Naruto locked the door, like instructed by Kakashi.

"If you need anything just call me, OK?" Naruto asked, Sasuke giving a grunt in alright. Naruto went down stairs, rubbing a hand through his hair. Sasuke was right, he wasn't very free, but there was nothing Naruto could do. The village controlled Sasuke fate, Naruto could do nothing but watch, no matter how much he hated how Sasuke was treated. Maybe there was something Naruto could do to gain Sasuke's trust more? Even a little? Naruto didn't know, but it was worth a try after all, everything was.

XXX

The morning came slowly, Sasuke waking up after hearing his door unlock, but he didn't give up. He was slightly depressed. Everything he had tried failed. He just wanted to be free, to get the collar off, to be somewhere else than this damn village. Sasuke closed his eyes again, still sleepy, maybe he would come up with an idea later on that day. Later on, he got up and got dressed, going down stairs only to collapse on the couch, Naruto looking at him.

"You don't want breakfast?"

"Fuck you and your breakfast,"Sasuke mumbled into a pillow as he curled up, looking up at Naruto out of the corner of his eye.

"Do you want anything?"  
"A blanket."

Naruto didn't waste any time getting the thickest blanket he could, draping it over Sasuke.

"Want me to turn off the light?" Naruto asked, seeing Sasuke nod, and Naruto did as he said. Naruto wanted nothing more to serve Sasuke, to make him happy.

"If you need me, I'll be in the kitchen, OK?"

Sasuke only gave a small nod as he kept sleeping, Naruto going into the kitchen and looking at the book Kakashi got him. A book on cat breeds. Naruto had a plan, but, he needed to do some research before telling Kakashi all the details. So far, Main Coons and Siamese looked like good choices, Russian Blues and Rag Dolls also looked good. Naruto needed to find the perfect cat, one that would open Sasuke up and get him to finally feel like there was something he could love. A cat would be perfect.

XXX

Sabbia: Man...two in one day...new record!

Naruto: Just because you are making them short.

Sabbia: Shut it . These aren't real chapters.

Sasuke: Say that all you want, doesn't make it true.

Sabbia: Anyway...R&R people!


End file.
